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Positron emission tomography imaging in dementia
Herholz K, Carter SF, Jones M.. The British journal of radiology, 2007-12-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a well-established imaging modality. Measurement of regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMR(glc)) using PET and [(18)F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) has become a standard technique in both oncology and dementia research. When measuring rCMR(glc) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), characteristic reductions in rCMR(glc) are found in neocortical association areas including the posterior cingulate, precuneus, temporoparietal and frontal multimodal association regions; the primary visual cortex, sensorimotor cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum are relatively unaffected.
Key findings
- Measurement of regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMR(glc)) using PET and [(18)F]-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) has become a standard technique in both oncology and dementia research.
- When measuring rCMR(glc) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), characteristic reductions in rCMR(glc) are found in neocortical association areas including the posterior cingulate, precuneus, temporoparietal and frontal multimodal association regions; the primary visual cortex, sensorimotor cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum are relatively unaffected.
- FDG-PET has been used in the study of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to accurately predict the subsequent decline to AD.
- Impairment in rCMR(glc) may be seen in individuals at high genetic risk of AD, even before clinical symptoms are apparent.
Why it matters
PET measurement of regional cerebral glucose metabolism using FDG is described as a standard technique in dementia research, with characteristic reductions in neocortical association areas in Alzheimer's disease. This is an imaging method for detection and research, not a treatment, cure, or prevention.
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. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 40 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 42 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The British journal of radiology) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | British Journal of Radiology: journal h-index 178 (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 | 2007 — 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 286 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.6 citations a year over 21 year(s) since 2007 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.0× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 6 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 17 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Manchester: institution h-index 1,304 (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 18445746) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Points | 40 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 40 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 42 out of 100. |
| Total | 42 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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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
Herholz, K., Carter, S. F., & Jones, M. (2007). Positron emission tomography imaging in dementia. The British journal of radiology. https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr/97295129
Vancouver
Herholz K, Carter SF, Jones M. Positron emission tomography imaging in dementia. The British journal of radiology. 2007. doi:10.1259/bjr/97295129. PMID: 18445746.
BibTeX
@article{herholz2007-18445746,
author = {Herholz, K. and Carter, S. F. and Jones, M.},
title = {{Positron emission tomography imaging in dementia}},
journal = {The British journal of radiology},
year = {2007},
doi = {10.1259/bjr/97295129},
pmid = {18445746},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr/97295129}
}
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