Multimodality Imaging of Huntington’s Disease

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Abstract

Molecular imaging has represented a major breakthrough in the advancement in the field of neurobiology allowing in vivo quantification of the molecular processes that underlay cellular dysfunction and loss in Huntington’s disease (HD). The onset and course of the disease depends on a cascade of events triggered by a genetic mutation involving several tissues and brain structures. In recent years, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have improved our understanding of the neurodegenerative mechanisms leading to its clinical manifestations. PET imaging has been developed as a potential biological marker for estimating the age of onset of the disease and assessing the effectiveness of experimental treatments. The present chapter summarizes the contribution of PET and MRI in the research field on Huntington’s disease, through some of the most significant achievements that have helped comprehend the molecular changes, the clinical manifestations, and the course of the disease.

Keywords

Positron Emission Tomography Caudate Nucleus Gene Mutation Carrier Positron Emission Tomography Metabolic Imaging Brain Network Change 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Nuclear MedicineS. Andrea HospitalLa SpeziaItaly
  2. 2.Institute of Radiology and Nuclear MedicineStadtspital TriemliZurichSwitzerland

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