# Imaging tau, amyloid, and neurodegeneration in PPA

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2020 · $854,998

## Abstract

Abstract
 Primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is a devastating neurodegenerative syndrome
that involves relentless development of aphasia with relative sparing of other cognitive
functions, at least early in its course. There are multiple subtypes as well as multiple
underlying pathologies. PPA and its subtypes can be difficult to differentiate from other
neurodegenerative disorders and from each other, particularly early in their course.
There are currently few clinical tools to assist in the early specific diagnosis of PPA and
its subtypes.
 We have recently made substantial preliminary progress toward the development of
novel imaging techniques that could be extremely valuable in early specific diagnosis of
the molecular basis of specific pathologies underlying PPA. We propose to use tau and
amyloid imaging tracers to attempt to discriminate these underlying molecular
pathologies, and FDG-PET, functional connectivity MRI, and morphometric structural
MRI to measure and longitudinally monitor markers of neurodegeneration in the
language network(s) and other brain regions. In addition to more accurate diagnosis,
these measures will likely be important for prognostication and monitoring of decline and
the effects of putative therapies.
 The overall goal of this proposal is to translate these methods from new scientific
technologies into clinically useful tools that can be used by clinicians around the country
and internationally to improve the diagnostic specificity and assessment capabilities for
PPA and its subtypes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9993476
- **Project number:** 5R01DC014296-05
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** BRADFORD C DICKERSON
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $854,998
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9993476

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9993476, Imaging tau, amyloid, and neurodegeneration in PPA (5R01DC014296-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9993476. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*