Marc Dhenain, DVM, PhD
CNRS – Molecular Imaging Research Center - NeuroSpin
Fontenay aux Roses, France
“Preclinical evaluation of Alzheimer's disease and cerebral aging: Value
of rodent and primate models, imaging biomarkers”
Age-associated memory impairments and Alzheimer's disease are severe burdens for our
societies. The development of new drugs against these alterations requires the use of
animal models and biomarkers.
Mouse models of amyloidosis are largely used to evaluate the impact of amyloidosis
on brain function. Here we will present how functional MRI and PET biomarkers can
detect some of the physiopathological alterations associated to amyloidosis.
Because amyloid is a key event in the development of AD, imaging amyloid in vivo
is a critical issue. We will present a new method based on Gadolinium staining to detect
amyloid plaque by in vivo MRI.
The last part of the talk will be dedicated to the presentation of the mouse lemur
primate, a new model of cerebral aging. The usefulness of imaging biomarkers to
evaluate cerebral aging and therapies in this model will be presented.