Hackensack University Medical Center Will Participate in Nationwide Study of Amyloid PET in Patients with Mild Dementia or Cognitive Impairment

Study to Assess Test’s Usefulness to Guide Decision-Making

Hackensack University Medical Center will participate in a new study to determine if amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) is a useful tool to guide decision-making in the management of patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia of uncertain etiology.

Amyloid PET detects amyloid plaques in the brain, a core neuropathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. The new Imaging Dementia—Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (New IDEAS) Study will follow up on results from the original IDEAS study to assess the value of brain PET scans in diagnosing and managing Alzheimer’s disease.

A major limitation of the original IDEAS cohort was lack of racial and ethnic diversity. The new study will address additional gaps in knowledge that are highly relevant to improve precision in future coverage decisions and implementation of amyloid PET in clinical practice. The study will enroll 7,000 Medicare beneficiaries at sites throughout the United States as part of a CMS Coverage with Evidence Development research program. Dementia specialists will team with trained radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians at PET facilities to order, conduct and interpret the amyloid PET; imaging results will be provided to the ordering physician for support in further decision-making.

The NewIDEAS study is strongly aligned with the Hackensack Meridian School of medicine’s vision statement, which is “Each person in New Jersey, and in the United States, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, will enjoy the highest levels of wellness in an economically and behaviorally sustainable fashion.”