- 1,354studies in the library match, of 29,380
- 390name it in the title
- 1993–2026years published
- 1,307peer-reviewed articles
The query: title or abstract mentions "amyloid PET", "amyloid imaging", a tracer (florbetapir, florbetaben, flutemetamol, Pittsburgh compound B), "Centiloid", or "amyloid-positive/negative", matched case-insensitively against each record's title and abstract (its summary field) in alzhub's library of 29,380 study records, as of 2026-11-08. Every count on this page comes from that match. The matched list as JSON.
Positron emission tomography (PET) with an amyloid tracer lights up amyloid-beta plaques, one of the two hallmark proteins of Alzheimer's disease. A scan is read as positive or negative by a trained reader, or measured on a numeric scale (the Centiloid scale is one) so that results from different tracers and scanners can be compared.
A positive scan means plaques are present; it does not by itself mean a person has or will develop dementia, because some cognitively normal older people have plaques. A negative scan makes Alzheimer's an unlikely cause of symptoms. The papers below are where those statements come from.
This page describes what published research in alzhub's library reports. It is not medical advice and does not apply to any one person: a doctor who knows the person's history is the only one who can say what a result or a treatment means for them.
What the studies report, in their own words
Whole sentences copied from the abstract or key findings of the highest-scoring matched studies, chosen because they mention the subject and give a figure. 8 of the 1,354 matched records are quoted; each links to its study page and from there to the paper.
“Mean baseline amyloid levels were 63.2 (CDR-GS: 0) and 70.7 Centiloids (CDR-GS: 0.5).”
“Overall, 72.7% and 27.5% of Japanese- and global-GRADUATE, respectively, achieved an amyloid-negative status.”
“Second, we examined volumetric associations with amyloid (amyloid positive, tau negative versus control) and tau in the presence of amyloid (amyloid positive, tau positive versus amyloid positive, tau negative) across 52 brain areas.”
“These findings suggest a 20- to 30-year interval between first development of amyloid positivity and onset of dementia.”
“Moreover, antibodies decreased amyloid PET SUVR {SMD = -1.02 [95 % CI (-1.70; -0.34), I 2 = 95 %]} and CSF p181-tau {SMD = -0.87 [95 % CI (-1.32; -0.43), I 2 = 89 %]} by large effect sizes.”
“Consistent with the overall data set, a robust dose-dependent decrease in amyloid beta levels as assessed with amyloid-PET and plasma p-tau181 was observed.”
“Robust concordance between CSF biomarkers and amyloid PET visual status was observed (for Aβ42/Aβ40, AUC: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.83-0.97; p < 0.0001), confirming CSF biomarkers as a reliable alternative to amyloid PET in these studies.”
“At the final analysis, the adjusted mean change from OLE baseline to year 3 in PiB-PET SUVR was -0·71 SUVR (95% CI -0·88 to -0·53, p<0·0001).”
What kind of evidence it is
By study design
| Design (as recorded) | Studies |
|---|---|
| Systematic review or meta-analysis | 38 |
| Randomised controlled trial | 8 |
| Other clinical trial | 39 |
| Cohort or longitudinal study | 243 |
| Case-control study | 2 |
| Cross-sectional study | 147 |
| Other recorded design | 9 |
| No design recorded | 868 |
The design is the one named in alzhub's record for the study; a record with none is counted as "no design recorded".
By year
| Year | Studies | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 118 | |
| 2025 | 182 | |
| 2024 | 101 | |
| 2023 | 106 | |
| 2022 | 100 | |
| 2021 | 97 | |
| 2020 | 84 | |
| 2019 | 68 | |
| 2018 | 74 | |
| 2017 | 66 | |
| 2016 and earlier | 358 |
Other counts within the matched set
| Peer-reviewed articles | 1,307 |
| Marked open access in the record | 509 |
| Rated "high" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 97 |
| Rated "moderate" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 478 |
| Rated "low" evidence strength in alzhub's summary | 754 |
| No evidence-strength rating | 25 |
| Records stating a participant count | 747 |
| Median participants (those records) | 191 |
| Largest participant count | 500,000 |
Within the 1,354 matched studies
| Studies… | Count | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| …that also report a Centiloid value | 128 | the abstract also contains "Centiloid" |
| …that also compare the scan with a blood test | 389 | the abstract also contains "plasma" or "blood" |
| …in cognitively normal or unimpaired people | 330 | the abstract also contains "cognitively normal/unimpaired" or "clinically normal" |
The 10 highest-scoring matched studies
Title matches first, then by alzhub's usefulness score, which rates a study's design, journal, evidence and recency, not whether its result is good news.
- CSF biomarker concordance with amyloid PET in Phase 3 studies of aducanumab
- Genome-wide association study of brain amyloid deposition as measured by Pittsburgh Compound-B (PiB)-PET imaging
- Prevalence of amyloid PET positivity in dementia syndromes: a meta-analysis
- Donanemab (LY3002813) Phase 1b Study in Alzheimer's Disease: Rapid and Sustained Reduction of Brain Amyloid Measured by Florbetapir F18 Imaging
- Amyloid PET Quantitation and Centiloid Thresholds in the Diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease: An Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis
- Accuracy of Tau Positron Emission Tomography as a Prognostic Marker in Preclinical and Prodromal Alzheimer Disease: A Head-to-Head Comparison Against Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging
- Association of Amyloid Positron Emission Tomography With Subsequent Change in Clinical Management Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia
- Blood phosphorylated Tau181 reliably differentiates amyloid-positive from amyloid-negative subjects in the Alzheimer's disease continuum: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Prevalence and Clinical Implications of a β-Amyloid-Negative, Tau-Positive Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarker Profile in Alzheimer Disease
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in Amyloid PET Positivity in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: A Secondary Analysis of the Imaging Dementia-Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) Cohort Study
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses in the set
38 of the matched records are recorded as a systematic review, meta-analysis or umbrella review; the highest-scoring not already listed above:
- Brain MRI signatures across sex and CSF Alzheimer's disease biomarkers
- Prevalence of cerebral amyloid pathology in persons without dementia: a meta-analysis
- Effects of monoclonal antibodies against amyloid-β on clinical and biomarker outcomes and adverse event risks: A systematic review and meta-analysis of phase III RCTs in Alzheimer's disease
- Donanemab for Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials
- Risk of conversion to mild cognitive impairment or dementia among subjects with amyloid and tau pathology: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Newest matched studies
- Tau-CTFP: A connectome-informed continuous-time first-passage model for forecasting the onset of regional tau PET abnormality
- Blood-based biomarkers across the Alzheimer's disease continuum in older Korean population
- Detection of tau spatial extent using MK6240 and flortaucipir PET
- Current gaps in downstream applications of fMRI foundation models: lessons learned from BrainLM & BrainHarmonix on Prevent-AD
- Soluble amyloid composition links proximal APP processing, fibrillar burden and the p-tau181 response
Journals with the most matched studies
| Journal | Studies |
|---|---|
| Neurology | 149 |
| Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association | 113 |
| Alzheimer's research & therapy | 71 |
| Brain : a journal of neurology | 54 |
| JAMA neurology | 51 |
Questions
- What does a positive amyloid PET scan mean?
- That the tracer found amyloid plaques in the brain above the reading threshold. In someone with memory symptoms it supports a diagnosis of Alzheimer's; in someone without symptoms it shows a risk state, not a diagnosis. The studies listed below report how often each case occurs.
- What does a negative scan mean?
- That plaques were not found above threshold, which makes Alzheimer's disease an unlikely cause of any symptoms present. Other causes of memory problems are not ruled out by it.
- How many studies on amyloid pet scan results does alzhub hold?
- 1,354 of the 29,380 study records in alzhub's library match the query "title or abstract mentions "amyloid PET", "amyloid imaging", a tracer (florbetapir, florbetaben, flutemetamol, Pittsburgh compound B), "Centiloid", or "amyloid-positive/negative""; 390 of them name it in the title. Counted from the records when this page was built.
- What kinds of study are they?
- 38 systematic review or meta-analysis, 8 randomised controlled trials, 39 other clinical trials, 243 cohort or longitudinal studys, 2 case-control studys, 147 cross-sectional studys; 868 record no design.
- What is the most recent study in the set?
- "Tau-CTFP: A connectome-informed continuous-time first-passage model for forecasting the onset of regional tau PET abnormality" (bioRxiv, 2026), the newest by publication date among the matched records.
- Which journals publish most on it?
- Neurology (149); Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association (113); Alzheimer's research & therapy (71), counted across the matched records.
Read on
- Brain scans and testsPET, MRI and other tests: what they show and what they cost.
- Getting a diagnosisWhat the diagnostic process involves.
- Blood tests for Alzheimer'sThe newer alternative to a scan.
- Tau PET scansThe scan for the other hallmark protein.