Clinical Applicability of pCASL as a Substitute for FDG-PET in MCI Patients

The goal of this observational study is to compare cerebral perfusion patterns with pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) and brain metabolism patterns with fluorodeoxyglucose-position emission tomography (FDG-PET) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The main questions it aims to answer are:Do pCASL sequences identify hypoperfusion patterns that correlate well with FDG-PET hypometabolic patterns?Are there differences in this correlation in terms of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profiles?Can hypoperfusion patterns in pCASL predict conversion to dementia? Participants will undergo brain 3 Tesla MRI, FDG-PET, lumbal puncture and blood collection to analyze amyloid beta and tau, yearly detailed neuropsychological tests for three years.

Inclusion Criteria:Patients with mild cognitive impairment according to established criteriaClinical Dementia Rating scale of 0.5Signed informed consent before study entryExclusion Criteria:Contraindication to brain MRI, FDG-PET or lumbar punctureSecondary causes of cognitive declineKnown major neurological or psychiatric comorbiditiesHistory of substance or alcohol abuseKnown causes of cerebral brain perfusion alterationsEnrollment in anti-amyloid or anti-tau drugs trials