Amyloid deposition detected with florbetapir F 18 (18F-AV-45) is related to lower episodic memory performance in clinically normal older individuals

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of amyloid burden, as assessed by florbetapir F 18 (18F-AV-45) amyloid positron emission tomography, and cognition in healthy older control (HC) subjects. Seventy-eight HC subjects were assessed with a brief cognitive test battery and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 18F-AV-45. A standard uptake value ratio was computed for mean data from 6 cortical regions using a whole cerebellum reference region. Scans were also visually rated as amyloid positive or amyloid negative by 3 readers. Higher standard uptake value ratio correlated with lower immediate memory (r = −0.33; p = 0.003) and delayed recall scores (r = −0.25; p = 0.027). Performance on immediate recall was also lower in the visually rated amyloid positive compared with amyloid negative HC (p = 0.04), with a similar trend observed in delayed recall (p = 0.06). These findings support the hypothesis that higher amyloid burden is associated with lower memory performance among clinically normal older subjects. Longitudinal follow-up is ongoing to determine whether 18F-AV-45 may also predict subsequent cognitive decline.