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Purpose: The identification of tau accumulation within living brains holds significant potential in facilitating accurate diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). While visual assessment is frequently employed, standardized methods for tau positron emission tomography (PET) specifically in PSP are absent. We aimed to develop a visual reading algorithm dedicated to the evaluation of [18F]Florzolotau PET in PSP. Methods: 148 PSP and 30 healthy volunteers were divided into a development set (for the establishment of the reading rules; n = 89) and a testing set (for the validation of the reading rules; n = 89). For differential diagnosis, 55 α-synucleinopathies were additionally included into the testing set. The visual reading method was established by an experienced assessor (Reader 0) and was then validated by Reader 0 and two additional readers on regional and overall binary manners. A positive binding in both midbrain and globus pallidus/putamen regions was characterized as a PSP-like pattern, whereas any other pattern was classified as non-PSP-like. Results: Reader 1 (94.4%) and Reader 2 (93.8%) showed excellent agreement for the overall binary determination against Reader 0. The regional binary determinations of midbrain and globus pallidus/putamen showed excellent agreement among readers (kappa > 0.80). The overall binary evaluation demonstrated reproducibility of 86.1%, 94.4% and 77.8% for three readers. The visual reading algorithm showed high agreement with regional standardized uptake value ratios and clinical diagnoses. Conclusion: Through the application of the suggested visual reading algorithm, [18F]Florzorotau PET imaging demonstrated a robust performance for the imaging diagnosis of PSP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a case study of a 58-year-old woman with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 12 (SCA12) who underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the posterior subthalamic area (PSA) to treat her intractable action tremor. The patient's tremor significantly improved after DBS, leading to better quality of life and sustained tremor control. The study highlights the short-term effectiveness of DBS in treating SCA12 and suggests that patients with SCA12 and mild cerebellar ataxia may benefit from this treatment. The authors emphasize the need for continued monitoring to assess the long-term outcomes of DBS for SCA12. [Extracted from the article]

A comprehensive model for deep dynamics in Asia has been developed from the data on the evolution of melting anomalies in the context of lithospheric plate motions, interactions, orogeny, and rifting. The key components of our model are the primary (transition layer) and secondary (upper mantle) melting anomalies (Gobi, Baikal, and North Transbaikalia; and Hangay, Sayan, and Vitim, respectively). It is inferred that the primary melting anomalies originated at the beginning of the latest geodynamic stage (ca. 90 Ma) as a result of the transition layer distortion by lower mantle flows. Such primary anomalies were caused by avalanche collapses of the slab material that had been stagnated under the closed fragments of the Solonker, Ural-Mongolian paleooceans and the Mongol-Okhotsk Bay of Paleopacific. The secondary melting anomalies occurred due to the Early-Middle Miocene structural reorganization in the Pacific-Asian and Indo-Asian interaction zones. The primary melting anomalies governed the spatial distribution of forces and processes of the latest geodynamic stage. The secondary melting anomalies resulted from the lithospheric motions relative to the primary anomalies and provided for the development of orogeny and rifting. The Baikal-Mongolian corridor of asthenospheric flows was limited by the lateral zones of convergent interactions between India and Asia in the southwest, and North America and Asia in the northeast. In these lateral zones, Late Phanerozoic paleoslabs and ascending mantle fluxes were revealed in the transition layer, as well as in the upper mantle, without any destruction by the asthenospheric flows.

Background: Recent development in tau‐sensitive tracers has sparkled significant interest in tracking tauopathies using positron emission tomography (PET) biomarkers. However, the ability of 18F‐florzolotau PET imaging to topographically characterize tau pathology in corticobasal syndrome (CBS) remains unclear. Further, the question as to whether disease‐level differences exist with other neurodegenerative tauopathies is still unanswered. Objective: To analyze the topographical patterns of tau pathology in the living brains of patients with CBS using 18F‐florzolotau PET imaging and to examine whether differences with other tauopathies exist. Methods: 18F‐florzolotau PET imaging was performed in 20 consecutive patients with CBS, 20 cognitively healthy controls (HCs), 20 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 16 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy–Richardson's syndrome (PSP‐RS). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of β‐amyloid biomarkers were quantified in all patients with CBS. 18F‐florzolotau uptake was quantitatively assessed using standardized uptake value ratios. Results: Of the 20 patients with CBS, 19 (95%) were negative for CSF biomarkers of amyloid pathology; of them, three had negative 18F‐florzolotau PET findings. Compared with HCs, patients with CBS showed increased 18F‐florzolotau signals in both cortical and subcortical regions. In addition, patients with CBS were characterized by higher tracer retentions in subcortical regions compared with those with AD and showed a trend toward higher signals in cortical areas compared with PSP‐RS. An asymmetric pattern of 18F‐florzolotau uptake was associated with an asymmetry of motor severity in patients with CBS. Conclusions: In vivo 18F‐florzolotau PET imaging holds promise for distinguishing CBS in the spectrum of neurodegenerative tauopathies. © 2023 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Human post mortem studies have described the topographical patterns of tau pathology in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Recent advances in tau PET tracers are expected to herald the next era of PSP investigation for early detection of tau pathology in living brains. This study aimed to investigate whether 18F-Florzolotau PET imaging may capture the distribution patterns and regional vulnerability of tau pathology in PSP, and to devise a novel image-based staging system. Methods: The study cohort consisted of 148 consecutive patients with PSP who had undergone 18F-Florzolotau PET imaging. The PSP rating scale (PSPrs) was used to measure disease severity. Similarities and differences of tau deposition among different clinical phenotypes were examined at the regional and voxel levels. An 18F-Florzolotau pathological staging system was devised according to the scheme originally developed for post mortem data. In light of conditional probabilities for the sequence of events, an 18F-Florzolotau modified staging system by integrating clusters at the regional level was further developed. The ability of 18F-Florzolotau staging systems to reflect disease severity in terms of PSPrs score was assessed by analysis of variance. Results: The distribution patterns of 18F-Florzolotau accumulation in living brains of PSP showed a remarkable similarity to those reported in post mortem studies, with the binding intensity being markedly higher in Richardson's syndrome. Moreover, 18F-Florzolotau PET imaging allowed detecting regional vulnerability and tracking tau accumulation in an earlier fashion compared with post mortem immunostaining. The 18F-Florzolotau staging systems were positively correlated with clinical severity as reflected by PSPrs scores. Conclusions: 18F-Florzolotau PET imaging can effectively capture the distribution patterns and regional vulnerability of tau pathology in PSP. The 18F-Florzolotau modified staging system holds promise for early tracking of tau deposition in living brains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: 18 F-APN-1607 is a novel tau PET tracer characterized by high binding affinity for 3- and 4-repeat tau deposits. Whether 18 F-APN-1607 PET imaging is clinically useful in PSP remains unclear.Objectives: The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of 18 F-APN-1607 PET in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and assessment of disease severity in patients with PSP.Methods: We enrolled 3 groups consisting of patients with PSP (n = 20), patients with α-synucleinopathies (MSA with predominant parkinsonism, n = 7; PD, n = 10), and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n = 13). The binding patterns of 18 F-APN-1607 in PET/CT imaging were investigated. Regional standardized uptake ratios were compared across groups and examined in relation to their utility in the differential diagnosis of PSP versus α-synucleinopathies. Finally, the relationships between clinical severity scores and 18 F-APN-1607 uptake were investigated after adjustment for age, sex, and disease duration.Results: Compared with healthy controls, patients with PSP showed increased 18 F-APN-1607 binding in several subcortical regions, including the striatum, putamen, globus pallidus, thalamus, subthalamic nucleus, midbrain, tegmentum, substantia nigra, pontine base, red nucleus, raphe nuclei, and locus coeruleus. We identified specific regions that were capable of distinguishing PSP from α-synucleinopathies. The severity of PSP was positively correlated with the amount of 18 F-APN-1607 uptake in the subthalamic nucleus, midbrain, substantia nigra, red nucleus, pontine base, and raphe nuclei.Conclusions: 18 F-APN-1607 PET imaging holds promise for the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and assessment of disease severity in patients with PSP. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anecdotal evidence suggests that patients diagnosed with the parkinsonian subtype of multiple system atrophy (MSA-P) may show uptake of the second-generation tau positron emission tomography (PET) tracer 18 F-Florzolotau (previously known as 18 F-APN-1607) in the putamen.Objectives: This study systematically investigated the localization and magnitude of 18 F-Florzolotau uptake in a relatively large cohort of patients with MSA-P.Methods: 18 F-Florzolotau PET imaging was performed in 31 patients with MSA-P, 24 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), and 20 age-matched healthy controls. 18 F-Florzolotau signal in the striatum was analyzed by visual inspection and classified as either positive or negative. Regional 18 F-Florzolotau binding was also expressed as standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) to assess whether it was associated with core symptoms of MSA-P after adjustment for potential confounders.Results: By visual inspection and semiquantitative SUVR comparisons, patients with MSA-P showed elevated 18 F-Florzolotau uptake in the putamen, globus pallidus, and dentate-a finding that was not observed in PD. This increased signal was significantly associated with the core symptoms of MSA-P. In addition, patients with MSA-P with cerebellar ataxia showed an elevated 18 F-Florzolotau uptake in the cerebellar dentate.Conclusions: 18 F-Florzolotau tau PET imaging findings may reflect the clinical severity of MSA-P and can potentially discriminate between this condition and PD. © 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]