TABLE 7.

Recommendations regarding functional MRI

We recommend against the use of fMRI for the clinical investigation of patients presenting with cognitive complaint (Grade 1B). Future studies should use standardized acquisition of images protocol and experimental paradigm to allow pooling of data (Grade 1C;R). Future studies with large number of participants and longer period of follow-up are needed to allow firm conclusions on the value of fMRI in early detection of dementia and on predicting conversion of MCI to AD (Grade 1B; R). Future studies with large number of participants and longer period of follow-up are needed to allow firm conclusions regarding the value of fMRI in distinguishing between AD and non-AD dementia such as FTD and LBD (Grade 1B; R). Future studies with large number of participants and longer period of follow-up are needed to allow firm conclusions on the value of fMRI in assessing changes in brain activation in response to intervention such as cognitive training and pharmacotherapy (Grade 1C; R). Future studies with large number of participants and longer period of follow-up are needed to allow firm conclusions on the value of fMRI mapping brain activation in various neuropsychiatric and behavioral symptoms in the context of pre-clinical and clinical dementia such as depression, apathy and psychosis, which will help in developing specific treatments for these symptoms (Grade 2C).