Alzheimer's disease: The use of contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging to detect amyloid beta peptide inside the brain

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive and irreversible loss of mental functions. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and may lead to death. Amyloid beta peptides (A beta) accumulation in the brain is one of the pathological hallmarks of AD. Together with different clinical examinations, brain imaging techniques are often used to detect A beta plaques inside the brain in order to increase the reliability of the diagnostic of AD. In this review, we compare the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with other imaging techniques used for A beta detection and present the state of the art concerning the use of contrast agents for MRI proposed for detection of A beta inside the brain. Recent progress in the development of gadolinium complexes and iron oxide nanoparticles as MRI contrast agents targeted toward A beta plaques are discussed. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.