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Amyloid deposition in the brain is considered a central process driving cognitive decline in Alzheimer disease (AD). To examine whether amyloid deposition correlates with neuropsychological (NP) performance and whether cognitive reserve (CR) alters this relationship in nondemented elders and patients with AD, researchers measured brain retention of Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) — a marker of amyloid retention — detected by positron emission tomography (PET) in 66 cognitively normal elders and 17 patients with AD. Participants also underwent extensive NP testing. Performance on a test measuring verbal intelligence quotient was used to indicate level of cognitive reserve. Education level was also considered.
Overall, PiB binding was inversely re…