Measurement of Amyloid Plaques Using PET Scanning in the Older Australian Twins Study

Amyloid PET in the Older Australian Twins Study - CHeBA Research Project — A hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a build-up of amyloid plaques in the brain, which can be detected using PET scanning.

Description

A hallmark feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain, which typically starts many years before symptoms are observed. We used amyloid PET brain scans to investigate this plaque build-up in pairs of twins at risk of developing AD. The data is currently undergoing analysis to calculate the heritability of these plaques - that is, to determine to what degree genes play a role. We are also investigating potentially modifiable environmental factors that may be contributing to the build-up of plaques and the associated changes in memory and thinking.

Amyloid PET in the Older Australian Twins Study - PET Brain Scan

Project Members

Professor Perminder Sachdev, Project Lead, CHeBA
Professor Christopher Rowe, Nuclear Medicine Specialist, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Centre for PET, University of Melbourne, Austin Health
Associate Professor Wei Wen, Head of the Neuroimaging Laboratory, CHeBA
Dr Anbupalam Thalamuthu, Biostatistician, CHeBA
Dr Rebecca Koncz, PhD Candidate, CHeBA

In conjuction with the Older Australian Twins Study team.