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Brain amyloid imaging
Rowe CC, Villemagne VL.. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine, 2011-09-14
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Imaging of brain β-amyloid plaques with (18)F-labeled tracers for PET will likely be available in clinical practice to assist the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD). With the rapidly growing prevalence of AD as the population ages, and the increasing emphasis on early diagnosis and treatment, brain amyloid imaging is set to become a widely performed investigation. All physicians reading PET scans will need to know the complex relationship between amyloid and cognitive decline, how to best acquire and display images for detection of amyloid, and how to recognize the patterns of tracer binding in AD and other causes of dementia. This article will provide nuclear medicine physicians with the background knowledge required for understanding this emerging investigation, including its appropriate use, and prepare them for practical training in scan interpretation.
Key findings
- Imaging of brain β-amyloid plaques with (18)F-labeled tracers for PET will likely be available in clinical practice to assist the diagnosis of Alzheimer disease (AD).
- With the rapidly growing prevalence of AD as the population ages, and the increasing emphasis on early diagnosis and treatment, brain amyloid imaging is set to become a widely performed investigation.
- All physicians reading PET scans will need to know the complex relationship between amyloid and cognitive decline, how to best acquire and display images for detection of amyloid, and how to recognize the patterns of tracer binding in AD and other causes of dementia.
- This article will provide nuclear medicine physicians with the background knowledge required for understanding this emerging investigation, including its appropriate use, and prepare them for practical training in scan interpretation.
Why it matters
Imaging of brain β-amyloid plaques with 18F-labeled tracers for PET will likely become available in clinical practice to assist in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease. Physicians reading these scans will need to understand the complex relationship between amyloid and cognitive decline and how to recognize tracer binding patterns.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 42/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Nuclear Medicine: journal h-index 230 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 261 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.4 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 13.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 32 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Victor L. Villemagne: h-index 110 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Austin Health: institution h-index 458 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21917849) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.2967/jnumed.110.076315
- PubMed: 21917849
- Original source →
- Free full text: Journal of Nuclear Medicine →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Rowe, C. C., & Villemagne, V. L. (2011). Brain amyloid imaging. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.110.076315
Vancouver
Rowe CC, Villemagne VL. Brain amyloid imaging. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. 2011. doi:10.2967/jnumed.110.076315. PMID: 21917849.
BibTeX
@article{rowe2011-21917849,
author = {Rowe, C. C. and Villemagne, V. L.},
title = {{Brain amyloid imaging}},
journal = {Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.2967/jnumed.110.076315},
pmid = {21917849},
url = {https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.110.076315}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 42.