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Further specialist investigations if Alzheimer's disease suspected

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

If the diagnosis is uncertain and Alzheimer's disease is suspected, consider either:

  • FDG-PET (fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography-CT), or perfusion SPECT (single-photon emission CT) if FDG-PET is unavailable or
  • examining cerebrospinal fluid for:
    • either total tau or total tau and phosphorylated-tau 181 and
    • either amyloid beta 1-42 or amyloid beta 1-42 and amyloid beta 1-40
  • If a diagnosis cannot be made after one of these tests, consider using the other one.

Notes:

  • the older a person is, the more likely they are to get a false positive with CSF fluid exam
  • do not rule out Alzheimer's disease based solely on the results of CT or MRI scans.
  • do not use apolipoprotein E genotyping or electroencephalography to diagnose AD
  • be aware that young-onset Alzheimer's disease has a genetic cause in some people.

Reference:

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