Tau and synaptic density in mild cognitive impairment and traumatic brain injury

Abnormal protein deposition and brain trauma can both lead to hyperphosphorylation and accumulation of tau protein in the brain. In this project, it is hypothesized that sequentially measuring tau protein in combination with the effect on synaptic density, determines further changes such as anatomic and cognitive changes. Both tau deposition and synaptic density can be determined using PET scans (18F-MK6240 en 11C-UCB-J, respectively). Also, structural changes in white and grey matter can simultaneously be determined using PET-MR. These imaging biomarkers might be predictive for further clinical and neuropsychological changes, more specifically for cognitive dysfunction. This study will investigate the hypothesis in patients with MCI due to Alzheimer's disease and in patients with mild to severe traumatic brain injury, as well as several less frequent tauopathies. Pilot test results in MCI were published in Neurology (2020, in press).