Magnetization Transfer Contrast MRI as a Diagnostic Tool for Alzheimers Disease

Carlos J. Perez-Torres¹, ², Robia G. Pautler¹, ²

Early diagnosis of Alzheimers Disease (AD) remains a critical challenge for the management of this disease. Most work has focused on non-invasive imaging of amyloid beta plaques. However, it is known that amyloid neurotoxicity begins before plaque formation, so techniques are needed that can identify AD before plaque formation. In this work, we apply Magnetization Transfer Contrast (MTC), an MRI methodology already in use clinically. Our results show an increase in MTC signal that predates plaque formation in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD. The source of the MTC signal appears to be Tau and not the expected amyloid beta.