Research: Identifying and Differentiating CTE and AD with a PET Scan

A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), NorthShore University Health System (NSUHS), and other established institutions revealed that proteins (tau) are deposited in a distinctive pattern in the brains of individuals, particularly athletes, who are suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).  Researchers conducted a study in 14 retired National Football League football players who sustained at least one concussion during their time in the field.

Participants were made to undergo a PET scan with a chemical marker called FDDNP, which specifically binds to protein deposits or plaques in the brain. The scans of the athletes were compared to those of similarly aged men and women with and without Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Results indicated that the participants showed deposit patterns consistent with those observed in autopsy studies of deceased CTE patients where the white matter of the brainstem has significant damage. The deposition pattern was different from that of AD.

It was noted in the study that the former athletes had higher FDDNP levels in the amygdala and subcortical regions of the brain while those with AD had higher FDDNP levels in the cerebral cortex. The researchers further said that a PET scan may be helpful as a test to differentiate trauma-related cognitive issues from those caused by Alzheimer’s disease. Currently, CTE can only be diagnosed definitively following an autopsy.

Properly determining whether an individual’s memory loss, confusion, progressive dementia, behavioral changes, tremors, and other cognitive impairments are caused by either CTE or AD can significantly help in providing better therapeutic management and care. Now, physicians can identify either disease by identifying and analyzing  the distribution pattern of tau or abnormal protein deposits in the regions of the brain that regulate mood, cognition, and motor functions.