Functional neuroimaging in dementia and other amnesic disorders: a radiological review

Abstract

Problem statement: The structural and functional neuroimaging have much to contribute to the cognitive neuroscience. Approach: We describe a radiological review of the major dementia syndromes and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), included Alzheimer's disease, Lewy body dementia, Vascular dementia, Front temporal Lobar degeneration, Dementia associated with parkinsonism and other amnesic syndromes. Results: The different syndromes and diseases presenting with dementia have different patterns of brain perfusion abnormalities, it is possible to distinguish them with good specificity with neuroimaging. Conclusion: New imaging techniques carry the hope of revolutionizing the diagnosis of dementia so as to obtain a complete molecular, structural and metabolic characterization, which could be used to improve diagnosis and to stage each patient and follow disease progression and response to treatment. Structural and functional imaging modalities contribute to the diagnosis and understanding of the different dementias.