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Molecular imaging of Alzheimer disease pathology
Kantarci K.. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology, 2014-02-06
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Development of molecular imaging agents for fibrillar β-amyloid positron-emission tomography during the past decade has brought molecular imaging of Alzheimer disease pathology into the spotlight. Large cohort studies with longitudinal follow-up in cognitively normal individuals and patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease indicate that β-amyloid deposition can be detected many years before the onset of symptoms with molecular imaging, and its progression can be followed longitudinally. The utility of β-amyloid PET in the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer disease is greatest when there is no pathologic overlap between 2 dementia syndromes, such as in frontotemporal lobar degeneration and Alzheimer disease. However β-amyloid PET alone may be insufficient in distinguishing dementia syndromes that commonly have overlapping β-amyloid pathology, such as dementia with Lewy bodies and vascular dementia, which represent the 2 most common dementia pathologies after Alzheimer disease. The role of molecular imaging in Alzheimer disease clinical trials is growing rapidly, especially in an era when preventive interventions are designed to eradicate the pathology targeted by molecular imaging agents.
Key findings
- Large cohort studies with longitudinal follow-up in cognitively normal individuals and patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease indicate that β-amyloid deposition can be detected many years before the onset of symptoms with molecular imaging, and its progression can be followed longitudinally.
Why it matters
Amyloid PET imaging can detect β-amyloid deposition many years before Alzheimer's symptoms appear and can track its progression over time. It is most useful for distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from frontotemporal lobar degeneration, but may not reliably separate dementias that commonly share overlapping β-amyloid pathology, such as dementia with Lewy bodies and vascular dementia.
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Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 48/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for 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 (AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | American Journal of Neuroradiology: journal h-index 182 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2014 — 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 | 3 / 7 | Cited 23 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.6 citations a year over 14 year(s) since 2014 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 3.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 5 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Kejal Kantarci: h-index 103 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Mayo Clinic: institution h-index 1,606 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 24503555) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 48 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
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
Kantarci, K. (2014). Molecular imaging of Alzheimer disease pathology. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology. https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.a3847
Vancouver
Kantarci K. Molecular imaging of Alzheimer disease pathology. AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology. 2014. doi:10.3174/ajnr.a3847. PMID: 24503555.
BibTeX
@article{kantarci2014-24503555,
author = {Kantarci, K.},
title = {{Molecular imaging of Alzheimer disease pathology}},
journal = {AJNR. American journal of neuroradiology},
year = {2014},
doi = {10.3174/ajnr.a3847},
pmid = {24503555},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3174/ajnr.a3847}
}
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