Amyvid® (am-uh-vid) is an imaging agent used in adults who have thinking or memory problems and who are being assessed for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or some other causes of these symptoms. Amyvid is given by injection and it requires a prescription.
Amyvid is used with a machine called a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. The scan shows whether a person’s brain has an abnormal buildup of a protein called beta-amyloid. When beta-amyloid proteins build up and clump together, they form lumps in the brain called plaques.
What is a negative scan?
An Amyvid scan that shows few or no plaques in the brain is called a negative scan. This means that AD is probably not the cause of the person’s thinking or memory problems. This is only true as of the time of the scan.
What is a positive scan?
An Amyvid scan that shows a similar amount of plaque as scans from people with AD is called a positive scan. People with other conditions that cause thinking or memory problems as well as older people with normal thinking or memory can also have that amount of plaque in their brain.
Doctors use Amyvid in combination with other tests. A positive Amyvid scan does not mean you definitely have AD or another thinking or memory disorder. Amyvid should not be used to predict dementia or other brain conditions. It also should not be used to track whether a treatment is working.