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52/100

✓ Peer-reviewed alzhub usefulness score 52 out of 100. Brain scans and imaging

Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models

SUVs in the pons and the inferior cerebellum indicated consistent clearance across all 51 subjects. LGA and MRTM2 DVR estimates were similar, with LGA slightly underestimating DVR compared with MRTM2. DVR estimates remained stable when truncating the scan duration to 60 min. SUVR determined 70-90 min after injection of 18 F-MK-6240 indicated linearity near unity when compared with DVR estimates and minimized potential spill-in from uptake outside the brain. 18 F-MK-6240 binding patterns in target regions were consistent with neuropathological neurofibrillary tau staging. Off-target binding regions included the ethmoid sinus, clivus, meninges, substantia nigra, but not the basal ganglia or choroid plexus. 18 F-MK-6240 is a promising PET radioligand for in vivo imaging of neurofibrillary tau aggregates in AD with minimal off-target binding in the human brain.

Key findings

SUVs in the pons and the inferior cerebellum indicated consistent clearance across all 51 subjects.
LGA and MRTM2 DVR estimates were similar, with LGA slightly underestimating DVR compared with MRTM2.
DVR estimates remained stable when truncating the scan duration to 60 min.
SUVR determined 70-90 min after injection of 18 F-MK-6240 indicated linearity near unity when compared with DVR estimates and minimized potential spill-in from uptake outside the brain. 18 F-MK-6240 binding patterns in target regions were consistent with neuropathological neurofibrillary tau staging.
Off-target binding regions included the ethmoid sinus, clivus, meninges, substantia nigra, but not the basal ganglia or choroid plexus. 18 F-MK-6240 is a promising PET radioligand for in vivo imaging of neurofibrillary tau aggregates in AD with minimal off-target binding in the human brain.

Why it matters

This study characterized a tau PET radioligand in 51 people and found its binding pattern matched known stages of tau pathology, with minimal off-target binding in the brain. It is a technical imaging study and does not test any treatment, though it may help measure tau in future research.

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Study details

Participants19
Evidence strengthLow

How this study scored 52/100

Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported 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	2 / 5	2019 — within 10 year(s) of the newest study here
Sample size	1 / 4	19 participants
Effect reported	0 / 3	No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Studied in people	3 / 3	Studied in people (participant count stated)
Randomised / blinded	0 / 2	No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0)
Times cited	5 / 7	Cited 259 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10)
Citations per year	4 / 5	28.8 citations a year over 9 year(s) since 2019
Impact for its field and year	4 / 6	Cited 15.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI)
Cited by studies here	3 / 6	Cited by 15 other studies in this library
Still being cited	3 / 4	Cited 98 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex)
Senior author's track record	2 / 4	Last-listed author Bradley Christian: h-index 21 (OpenAlex, whole career)
Institution's track record	2 / 3	University of Wisconsin–Madison: institution h-index 1,518 (OpenAlex)
Multi-centre collaboration	1 / 3	OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country
Indexed in PubMed	2 / 2	Indexed in PubMed (PMID 29777006)
Free to read	0 / 2	Behind a paywall — scores zero
Total	52 / 100	—

What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →

Read the original

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. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.

APA 7th

Betthauser, T. J., Cody, K. A., Zammit, M. D., Murali, D., Converse, A. K., Barnhart, T. E., et al. (2019). In Vivo Characterization and Quantification of Neurofibrillary Tau PET Radioligand 18F-MK-6240 in Humans from Alzheimer Disease Dementia to Young Controls. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.118.209650

Vancouver

Betthauser TJ, Cody KA, Zammit MD, Murali D, Converse AK, Barnhart TE, et al. In Vivo Characterization and Quantification of Neurofibrillary Tau PET Radioligand 18F-MK-6240 in Humans from Alzheimer Disease Dementia to Young Controls. Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine. 2019. doi:10.2967/jnumed.118.209650. PMID: 29777006.

BibTeX

@article{betthauser2019-29777006,
  author  = {Betthauser, T. J. and Cody, K. A. and Zammit, M. D. and Murali, D. and Converse, A. K. and Barnhart, T. E. and Stone, C. K. and Rowley, H. A. and others},
  title   = {{In Vivo Characterization and Quantification of Neurofibrillary Tau PET Radioligand 18F-MK-6240 in Humans from Alzheimer Disease Dementia to Young Controls}},
  journal = {Journal of nuclear medicine : official publication, Society of Nuclear Medicine},
  year    = {2019},
  doi     = {10.2967/jnumed.118.209650},
  pmid    = {29777006},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.118.209650}
}

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