Imaging and Biomarkers Workshop

The use of neuroimaging and other biomarkers in those with suspected dementia has radically changed over the last decade, from that of simply ruling out other organic causes of cognitive decline, to providing important information to positively support the differential diagnosis of the main subtypes of dementia, especially at the early stages. Their use has also extended to application as surrogate outcome markers for clinical trials, especially those aimed at disease modification. Modalities currently in clinical use include CT, MRI, Perfusion SPECT, Glucose (FDG) PET, Dopaminergic (FP-CIT) SPECT or PET and Amyloid PET, though not all modalities are either available or reimbursed in all countries. CSF biomarkers are used clinically in some centres, whilst novel biomarkers, currently only for research applications, include Tau PET imaging and blood biomarkers.

This workshop is run by internationally recognised experts in the developing and clinical use of imaging and biomarkers for dementia. The workshop will provide a state of the art summary of the use of structural (CT and MR) imaging, perfusion and dopaminergic SPECT, FDG (metabolic) and amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers. Clinical and diagnostic guidelines incorporating such biomarkers will be summarised. This will be a very interactive workshop, with several opportunities to rate scans and discuss the application of biomarkers with the experts. In particular, we will include a session on the rating of medial temporal atrophy from CT or MR scans, which will be of considerable practical use to all those involved with assessing and diagnosing people with suspected dementia.

The aim is that those attending will become more familiar with which imaging modalities and biomarkers are available, when they might best be used clinically, and to gain skills and confidence in interpreting scans, most especially in relation to the presence or absence of medial temporal lobe atrophy.