In Vivo 18F-Florzolotau Tau Positron Emission Tomography Imaging in Parkinson's Disease Dementia

Background: Tau pathology is observed during autopsy in many patients with Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using the tracer F-18-florzolotau has the potential to capture tau accumulation in the living brain. Objective: The aim was to describe the results of F-18-florzolotau PET/CT (computed tomography) imaging in patients with PDD. Methods: Ten patients with PDD, 9 with Parkinson's disease with normal cognition (PD-NC), and 9 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Clinical assessments and F-18-florzolotau PET/CT imaging were performed. Results: F-18-Florzolotau uptake was significantly higher in the cortical regions of patients with PDD compared with both PD-NC and HCs, especially in the temporal lobe. Notably, F-18-florzolotau uptake in the occipital lobe of patients with PDD showed a significant correlation with cognitive impairment as reflected by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. Conclusions: F-18-Florzolotau PET imaging can effectively capture the occurrence of tau pathology in patients with PDD, which was also linked to MMSE scores. (c) 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.