Final NCI-MCI Workshop
Molecular Brain Imaging in Very Early Alzheimer's Disease
February 2-3, 2006
Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
The EU 5th Framework funded concerted action ‘Neuroreceptor Imaging in Mild Cognitive Impairment’ (acronym: nci-mci) was initiated in 2000 and expires February 2006. The consortium is led by professor Gitte Moos Knudsen, Neurobiology Research Unit, Copenhagen University Hospital and includes 5 European centers.
The objective of the concerted action is to be able to pose an early diagnosis and a prognosis for the development of Alzheimer's disease. In vivo mapping of brain receptor in normal aged individuals, in patients with mild cognitive impairment, and in Alzheimer's disease are compared to neuropsychological and psychiatric measures to establish the relationship between these measures.
This project involves investigations of normal elderly
individuals as well as patients from memory clinic populations with MCI
and AD. All subjects have undergone the same complete neurological, neuropsychological
and psychiatric evaluation. Blood testing and structural brain imaging
with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has also been carried out. Each centre
has selected their individual receptor tracer ligand of probable relevance
for MCI; these include five different markers. In some centres, previously
validated methods such as cerebral glucose metabolism and cerebral blood
flow measurements have also been included. The aim of the workshop is to
give an overview of the results obtained within the concerted action and
to have feed-back from scientists within the field.