A STEP FORWARD AN EARLY DIAGNOSIS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Nabuyuky Okamura and
colleagues (Styrylbenzoxazole derivatives for in vivo imaging of amyloid
plaques in the brain. J. Neurosci. 24, 2535-2541, 2004) found a potential way
to detect early changes in patient’s brain. The initial stages of Alzheimer’s
disease are characterized by extensive deposition of diffuse plaques and the
formation of neurofibrillary tangles in the entorhinal cortex. Okamura’s group
demonstrates that a compound named BF-168 selectively recognized senile plaques
and neurofibrillary tangles, the two identification marks of the disease. Since
BF-168 can permeate blood-brain barrier, the authors tested whether it could be
used for in vivo imaging of amyloid deposit in the brain.
Positive results
encourage further work to demonstrate safety and efficacy of BF-168 in PET or
SPECT.
BM&L-May 2004