Tau imaging detects distinctive distribution of tau pathology in ALS/PDC on the Kii Peninsula

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the distribution of tau pathology in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex on the Kii Peninsula (Kii ALS/PDC) by tau PET using [11C]PBB3 as ligand.
METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of five patients with ALS/PDC and one asymptomatic participant with a dense family history of ALS/PDC from the Kii Peninsula who took part in this study. All were men, and their age was 76 ± 8 (mean ± SD) years. Thirteen healthy men (69 ± 6 years) participated as healthy controls (HCs). Dynamic PET scans were performed following injection of [11C]PBB3, and parametric PET images were generated by voxel-by-voxel calculation of binding potential (BPND) using a multilinear reference tissue model. [11C]PiB PET, MRI, and cognitive tests were also performed.
RESULTS: A voxel-based comparison of [11C]PBB3 BPND illustrated PET-detectable tau deposition in the cerebral cortex and white matter, and pontine basis including the corticospinal tract in...