MRI of Alzheimer's Disease Imaging Amyloid Plaques in Persons With and Without Memory Problems

Objective: The objective of the proposed pilot study is to investigate the possibility of detecting early signs of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) using high field (7T) MRI. If plaques can be imaged by MRI, the procedure could be used as a measure of efficacy in clinical trials of AD, and replace more invasive methods such as positron emission tomography (PET). This procedure might also be helpful in the clinical diagnosis of patients. Study Population: The target population is a group of 20 Alzheimer's patients with mild cognitive impairment. As reference, an age-matched control group (n=20) will be recruited from the normal adult population. Design: Our working hypothesis is that high resolution MRI at 7T allows detection of amyloid plaques in AD. To test this hypothesis, subjects from AD and control population will each undergo an MRI at 7T to image brain structure at high resolution. Brain cortical structures will then be compared between the two groups and investigated for abnormalities. Outcome Measure: As outcome measure of this study, it will be determined if (sub) cortical plaques typical of AD are detectable with high field MRI.