MRI is a method that produces very clear pictures of your brain, without the use of X-rays or other invasive methods.  MRI is an advanced medical technique that uses a large magnet, radio waves, antenna, and a computer to produce these images.

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PET stands for Positron Emission Tomography.  PET scanning can produce high quality pictures of different processes in your body.  For brain imaging, PET can be used to take pictures of how your brain uses glucose, or sugar.  Glucose is the source of energy for your brain.   Scientists have learned that there are abnormal patterns of glucose use in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and in some older people.

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Lumbar Punctures are done to collect Cerebral Spinal Fluid, or CSF.  CSF is very important for researchers to look at and understand.  It is the fluid that surrounds the brain and is the only way of looking at brain chemicals in a living person.  In the ADNI study, researchers will be looking at the CSF in some volunteers, alongside the images of their brains and information collected about their health and cognitive status.  Not everyone who agrees to take part in ADNI needs to have CSF sampling.

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