Tau extent is associated with lower cognition in Down syndrome-related Alzheimer's disease

Introduction

18F-MK6240 is a second-generation tau positron emission tomography (PET) tracer with high dynamic range able to detect early tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease, however, its binding characteristics have not been evaluated in Down syndrome (DS), which is a population at high risk for early Alzheimer's disease onset. Past Down DS tau PET studies used 18F-Flortaucipir, which suffers from off-target binding in early-stage regions, limiting pathology confirmation. This study evaluates the binding of 18F-MK6240 in DS and examines the relationship between tau extent and cognition.