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The role of neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s disease: implications for the diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and treatment
Julius Mulumba, Rui Duan, Bo Luo, Jiang Wu, Muhammad Sulaiman, Feng Wang, Yong Yang. Exploration of neuroscience, 2025-02-25
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It presents a significant challenge in terms of accurate diagnosis, disease progression monitoring, and the development of effective treatments. This article addresses the role of neuroimaging as an advancing tool for diagnosis, monitoring progression, and treatment of AD. A comprehensive review of existing literature on the use of neuroimaging in AD was conducted using various databases. The different imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET), were examined in terms of their ability to detect amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), the hallmark pathological features of AD. Neuroimaging enables the visualization of Alzheimer-related biomarkers, such as Aβ plaques, tau protein tangles, neuro-inflammation, and synaptic dysfunction, providing valuable insights into disease pathophysiology and progression. These imaging techniques assist in the early detection of AD, distinguishing it from other conditions and evaluating the effectiveness of treatments. This has the potential to significantly transform the way AD is managed clinically. By providing insights into the molecular changes that occur in the brain during the course of the disease, neuroimaging can facilitate early diagnosis, monitor disease progression, and inform treatment decisions. Furthermore, neuroimaging holds great potential for accelerating drug development by allowing researchers to assess the efficacy of novel therapies in real time. Overall, the integration of neuroimaging into the clinical management of AD has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach diagnosis, treatment, and research in AD.
Key findings
- It presents a significant challenge in terms of accurate diagnosis, disease progression monitoring, and the development of effective treatments.
- This has the potential to significantly transform the way AD is managed clinically.
- Overall, the integration of neuroimaging into the clinical management of AD has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach diagnosis, treatment, and research in AD.
Why it matters
This review examines how MRI, SPECT and PET imaging can detect Alzheimer's-related biomarkers such as amyloid beta plaques and tau tangles, and help with early detection, distinguishing the disease from other conditions, and evaluating treatment effectiveness. It is a review of imaging's role and does not itself test a treatment, cure or prevention.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 40/100
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 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 40 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Exploration of neuroscience) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Exploration of neuroscience: journal h-index 12 (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 | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 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 16 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 10.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 16 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | OpenAlex's profile for last-listed author Yong Yang holds only 4 work(s), too few to judge a track record — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 0 / 3 | Nanjing Medical University: institution h-index 508 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 1 / 2 | Not in PubMed, but has a DOI |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 38 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 38 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 40 out of 100. |
| Total | 40 / 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 names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Mulumba, J., Duan, R., Luo, B., Wu, J., Sulaiman, M., Wang, F., et al. (2025). The role of neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s disease: implications for the diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and treatment. Exploration of neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.37349/en.2025.100675
Vancouver
Mulumba J, Duan R, Luo B, Wu J, Sulaiman M, Wang F, et al. The role of neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s disease: implications for the diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and treatment. Exploration of neuroscience. 2025. doi:10.37349/en.2025.100675.
BibTeX
@article{mulumba2025-c5d3e675,
author = {Mulumba, Julius and Duan, Rui and Luo, Bo and Wu, Jiang and Sulaiman, Muhammad and Wang, Feng and Yang, Yong},
title = {{The role of neuroimaging in Alzheimer’s disease: implications for the diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and treatment}},
journal = {Exploration of neuroscience},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.37349/en.2025.100675},
url = {https://doi.org/10.37349/en.2025.100675}
}
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