Background

Neurodegenerative disorders are a leading cause of disability, dependence, and are a major public health problem affecting more than 44 million people worldwide and costing billions of dollars to healthcare systems across the globe. The correlations between clinical manifestations of neurodegenerative disease, the underlying neuropathology, and changes in neuronal activity are an intense area of research to both identify critical biological pathways important in disease and to measure the impact of potential interventions.

Imaging is not only a powerful tool to detect changes in neuronal structures, but also to detect and localize changes in neuronal activity that occurs with neurodegenerative disease. Neuronal activity consumes large amounts of glucose and oxygen, both of which are used for neuronal imaging. Glucose