18 F-THK5351 PET Positivity and Longitudinal Changes in Cognitive Function in β-Amyloid-Negative Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Purpose: Neuroinflammation is considered an important pathway associated with several diseases that result in cognitive decline. ¹⁸ F-THK5351 positron emission tomography (PET) signals might indicate the presence of neuroinflammation, as well as Alzheimer's disease-type tau aggregates. β-amyloid (Aβ)-negative (Aβ-) amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) may be associated with non-Alzheimer's disease pathophysiology. Accordingly, we investigated associations between ¹⁸ F-THK5351 PET positivity and cognitive decline among Aβ- aMCI patients.
Materials and Methods: The present study included 25 amyloid PET negative aMCI patients who underwent a minimum of two follow-up neuropsychological evaluations, including clinical dementia rating-sum of boxes (CDR-SOB). The patients were classified into two groups: ¹⁸ F-THK5351-positive and -negative groups. The present study used a linear mixed effects model to estimate the effects of ¹⁸ F-THK5351 PET positivity on cognitive prognosis among Aβ- aMCI patients.
Results: Among the 25 Aβ- aMCI patients, 10 (40.0%) were ¹⁸ F-THK5351 positive. The patients in the ¹⁸ F-THK5351-positive group were older than those in the ¹⁸ F-THK5351-negative group (77.4±2.2 years vs. 70.0±5.5 years; p <0.001). There was no difference between the two groups with regard to the proportion of apolipoprotein E ε4 carriers. Interestingly, however, the CDR-SOB scores of the ¹⁸ F-THK5351-positive group deteriorated at a faster rate than those of the ¹⁸ F-THK5351-negative group (B=0.003, p =0.033).
Conclusion: The results of the present study suggest that increased ¹⁸ F-THK5351 uptake might be a useful predictor of poor prognosis among Aβ- aMCI patients, which might be associated with increased neuroinflammation (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02656498).
Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
(© Copyright: Yonsei University College of Medicine 2022.)