Project: Alignment and Standardization of Neuroimaging Methods in Atypical Parkinsonism, including Tauopathies.
| Acronym | ASAP Tau (Reference Number: JPCOFUND_FP-940-001) |
| Duration | 01/10/2016 - 31/03/2017 |
| Project Topic | The term atypical parkinsonism (AP) is used for neurodegenerative disorders that share several clinical features with Parkinson's disease, but have a different underlying pathology. In general, these disorders also progress much quicker and response to symptomatic treatment is poorer. Today, the development of therapies targeting the underlying pathological substrate of AP (e.g. tau in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration) sparks hope for a significant improvement of treatment options. Further clinical testing will be difficult, however, because symptom-based clinical testing neither provides accurate early diagnosis, nor sensitive and objective markers of disease progression. Here, neuroimaging methods such as transcranial sonography, 18F-Fludeoxyglucose PET, 1.5T and 3T MRI have shown great potential, but a broad consensus on technical standards for multi-center studies is missing. Moreover, exciting new imaging methods are currently explored in AP. Novel tau-binding ligands for PET might be used as a target validation and quantification tool, while ultra-high field MRI has unprecedented potential to provide early diagnostic markers and very sensitive progression markers. Developing a methodological framework for these promising new methods would jump-start implementation in multi-center studies.This working group brings together neuroimaging experts from all over the world to develop a broad, community-based consensus on protocols for a minimum data set in AP. Building on these protocols, we will design a web-based service platform that can also integrate postmortem information. These outcomes will rapidly pave the way for an integration of neuroimaging in large and longitudinal multi-center studies in AP, including therapeutic trials in tauopathies. |
| Network | JPco-fuND |
| Call | Working Groups for Harmonisation and Alignment in Brain Imaging Methods for Neurodegeneration |