Clinical Applicability of pCASL as a Substitute for FDG-PET in MCI and SCD Patients

Clinical Applicability of Pseudo-continuous Arterial Spin Labeling as a Substitute for FDG-position Emission Tomography in MCI and SCD Patients

The goal of this observational study is to compare cerebral perfusion patterns with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) and brain metabolism patterns with fluorodeoxyglucose-position emission tomography (FDG-PET) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and subjective cognitive decline (SCD). The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Do pCASL sequences identify hypoperfusion patterns that correlate well with FDG-PET hypometabolic patterns?
• Are there differences in this correlation in terms of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profiles?
• Can hypoperfusion patterns in pCASL predict conversion to dementia? Participants will undergo brain 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), FDG-PET, lumbal puncture and blood collection to analyze amyloid beta and tau, yearly detailed neuropsychological tests for three years.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with mild cognitive impairment or subjective cognitive decline according to established criteria
• Clinical Dementia Rating scale of 0 or 0.5
• Signed informed consent before study entry

Exclusion Criteria:

• Contraindication to brain MRI, FDG-PET or lumbar puncture
• Secondary causes of cognitive decline
• Known major neurological or psychiatric comorbidities
• History of substance or alcohol abuse
• Known causes of cerebral brain perfusion alterations
• Enrollment in anti-amyloid or anti-tau drugs trials