Central effects of cholinesterase inhibitors in Alzheimers disease: Insights from advanced neuroimaging

Cholinesterase inhibitors have been in use for almost two decades but with residual uncertainty about treatment targeting and the nature of the longer-term effects, which achieve cognitive stabilization for some patients. The contribution of more traditional neuroimaging techniques to this debate, including task-related functional MRI and structural MRI, are examined. Recent findings with advanced imaging techniques, including resting-state functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging and PET amyloid imaging, offer new imaging biomarkers for patient selection into clinical trials. The ability to detect changes in brain networks will also clarify the processes involved in the response, or lack of response, to treatment and produce imaging data that better correlate with changes in levels of cognitive performance and everyday activity. © 2013 Future Medicine Ltd.