THE BRAIN IN OLDER PERSONS WITH AND WITHOUT DEMENTIA - FINDINGS ON MR, PET, AND SPECT IMAGES

Neuroimaging plays an increasingly important role in the evaluation of dementias of older adults. Although no unequivocal diagnostic test ot her than biopsy is currently available for Alzheimer's disease and som e other dementias during life, neuroimaging techniques are an integral part of the examination and follow-up of patients with dementia. This review describes findings in the brains of patients with normal aging and in elderly patients with dementia, as shown by MR imaging and MR spectroscopy, positron emission tomography (PET), and single-photon em ission computed tomography (SPECT) and correlated with clinical and pa thologic features.