18F-fluorodocosahexaenoic acid

18F-fluorodocosahexaenoic acid (also known as 22-[18F]fluorodocosahexaenoic acid or 18F-FDHA) is a novel fluorine-18-labeled positron emission tomography (PET) imaging tracer designed to monitor the brain uptake kinetics and metabolism of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in vivo. Developed by researchers at the University of Southern California, 18F-FDHA serves as a radiolabeled analog of DHA, an essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid critical for maintaining neuronal membrane integrity, synaptic plasticity, and anti-inflammatory signaling. Because the brain cannot synthesize DHA de novo, it relies on uptake from the systemic circulation, a process that is often dysregulated in carriers of the apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) allele, the strongest genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. By utilizing dynamic PET-MR imaging, 18F-FDHA allows for the noninvasive quantification of brain DHA incorporation coefficients (K*), providing a valuable diagnostic tool to investigate lipid dysregulation in Alzheimer's disease, aging, and other neurological disorders, as well as to evaluate the efficacy of dietary and pharmacological interventions.

Other names

18F-FDHA22-[18F]FDHA22-[18F]fluorodocosahexaenoic acid[18F]-FDHA[18F]fluorodocosahexaenoic acid