Objective: This study investigates the use of a new tau-specific PET radiotracer, [¹⁸F]-PI-2620, as a tool for visualising tau in the living brain.

Background: The accumulation of tau in the basal ganglia and later cerebellum and frontal cortex is a key pathogenic mechanism in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). The ability to detect tau in the living brain has the potential to revolutionise the diagnosis of PSP and other tauopathies.

Method: Ten patients with PSP (age 62-75 years, 6 male) underwent a 60-minute dynamic PET scan with [¹⁸F]-PI2620 (185MBq). The dynamic PET data was processed in to a single parametric image of binding potential (BP_ND) using the simplified reference tissue model and the corpus callosum as the reference region.

Results: Visual inspection of the images showed clear uptake in the basal ganglia nuclei [Figure1]. BP_ND was highest in Pallidum (1.99), Putamen (1.67), Thalamus (1.63), Substantia Nigra (1.62), Cerebellum (1.6) and Caudate (1.55), compared to 1.2-1.5 across the cortical regions. Higher BP in the basal ganglia nuclei were associated with higher scores on the PSPRS (Putamen, r=0.77, p=0.01).

Conclusion: [¹⁸F]-PI2620-PET shows potential as a technique for detecting tau in the living brain. Further studies are needed to evaluate its use as a diagnostic tool for PSP and other tauopathies.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/visualising-tau-in-patients-with-progressive-supranuclear-palsy-using-pi2620-pet/