Neuroimaging Technique Identified Concussion-related Disease in Living Brain

Published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, a case study conducted at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and at Molecular Neuroimaging found an experimental positron emission tomography (PET) tracer to be effective in diagnosing concussion-related brain disease while a person is still alive. The study results suggest that an experimental radiolabeled compound called [18 F]-T807, which is designed to latch onto a protein called tau — which accumulates in the brain with repetitive blows to the head — can be registered on a PET scanner to effectively diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The study results also argue that the process can differentiate it from other forms of dementia while the sufferer is still alive. Until now, CTE diagnosis has only been possible by evaluating post-mortem brain tissue. To read more about this study, click here.