Standardized Uptake Value Ratio Research Articles

Blood biomarkers of neurodegeneration associate differently with amyloid deposition, medial temporal atrophy, and cerebrovascular changes in APOE ε4-enriched cognitively unimpaired elderly.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tau tangles, and neurodegeneration in the brain parenchyma. Here, we aimed to (i) assess differences in blood and imaging biomarkers used to evaluate neurodegeneration among cognitively unimpaired APOE ε4 homozygotes, heterozygotes, and non-carriers with varying risk for sporadic AD, and (ii) to determine how different cerebral pathologies (i.e., Aβ deposition, medial temporal atrophy, and cerebrovascular pathology) contribute to blood biomarker concentrations in this sample. Sixty APOE ε4 homozygotes (n = 19), heterozygotes (n = 21), and non-carriers (n = 20) ranging from 60 to 75 years, were recruited in collaboration with Auria biobank (Turku, Finland). Participants underwent Aβ-PET ([11C]PiB), structural brain MRI including T1-weighted and T2-FLAIR sequences, and blood sampling for measuring serum neurofilament light chain (NfL), plasma total tau (t-tau), plasma N-terminal tau fragments (NTA-tau) and plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). [11C]PiB standardized uptake value ratio was calculated for regions typical for Aβ accumulation in AD. MRI images were analysed for regional volumes, atrophy scores, and volumes of white matter hyperintensities. Differences in biomarker levels and associations between blood and imaging biomarkers were tested using uni- and multivariable linear models (unadjusted and adjusted for age and sex). Serum NfL concentration was increased in APOE ε4 homozygotes compared with non-carriers (mean 21.4 pg/ml (SD 9.5) vs. 15.5 pg/ml (3.8), p = 0.013), whereas other blood biomarkers did not differ between the groups (p > 0.077 for all). From imaging biomarkers, hippocampal volume was significantly decreased in APOE ε4 homozygotes compared with non-carriers (6.71ml (0.86) vs. 7.2ml (0.7), p = 0.029). In the whole sample, blood biomarker levels were differently predicted by the three measured cerebral pathologies; serum NfL concentration was associated with cerebrovascular pathology and medial temporal atrophy, while plasma NTA-tau associated with medial temporal atrophy. Plasma GFAP showed significant association with both medial temporal atrophy and Aβ pathology. Plasma t-tau concentration did not associate with any of the measured pathologies. Only increased serum NfL concentrations and decreased hippocampal volume was observed in cognitively unimpaired APOEε4 homozygotes compared to non-carriers. In the whole population the concentrations of blood biomarkers were affected in distinct ways by different pathologies.

Moving Beyond Depression: Mood Symptoms Across the Spectrum Relate to Tau Pathology in Older Women at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease.

We examined how symptoms across the mood spectrum relate to Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers in older women at high risk for AD. Participants included 25 women aged 65+ with mild cognitive deficits and elevated AD genetic risk. The Profile of Mood States Questionnaire measured mood symptoms and a total mood disturbance (TMD) score. Tau burden in the meta-temporal region of interest was measured using MK-6240 Tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. A subset (n = 12) also had p-Tau181, and Aß40/42 levels measured in plasma. Higher TMD scores related to higher tau PET standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR). Greater negative mood symptoms correlated with higher tau PET SUVR, while greater vigor correlated with lower SUVR. Similar results were seen with plasma p-Tau181 levels, but not with Aβ40/42 levels. In conclusion, positive and negative mood symptoms related to tau pathology in older women at high risk for AD, highlighting a role of mental well-being in AD risk.

Kinetic modeling of the monoamine oxidase-B radioligand [18F]SMBT-1 in human brain with positron emission tomography.

This paper describes pharmacokinetic analyses of the monoamine-oxidase-B (MAO-B) radiotracer [18F](S)-(2-methylpyrid-5-yl)-6-[(3-fluoro-2-hydroxy)propoxy]quinoline ([18F]SMBT-1) for positron emission tomography (PET) brain imaging. Brain MAO-B expression is widespread, predominantly within astrocytes. Reactive astrogliosis in response to neurodegenerative disease pathology is associated with MAO-B overexpression. Fourteen elderly subjects (8 control, 5 mild cognitive impairment, 1 Alzheimer's disease) with amyloid ([11C]PiB) and tau ([18F]flortaucipir) imaging assessments underwent dynamic [18F]SMBT-1 PET imaging with arterial input function determination. [18F]SMBT-1 showed high brain uptake and a retention pattern consistent with the known MAO-B distribution. A two-tissue compartment (2TC) model where the K1/k2 ratio was fixed to a whole brain value best described [18F]SMBT-1 kinetics. The 2TC total volume of distribution (VT) was well identified and highly correlated (r2∼0.8) with post-mortem MAO-B indices. Cerebellar grey matter (CGM) showed the lowest mean VT of any region and is considered the optimal pseudo-reference region. Simplified analysis methods including reference tissue models, non-compartmental models, and standard uptake value ratios (SUVR) agreed with 2TC outcomes (r2 > 0.9) but with varying bias. We found the CGM-normalized 70-90 min SUVR to be highly correlated (r2 = 0.93) with the 2TC distribution volume ratio (DVR) with acceptable bias (∼10%), representing a practical alternative for [18F]SMBT-1 analyses.

Total-body imaging of mu-opioid receptors with [11C]carfentanil in non-human primates.

Mu-opioid receptors (MORs) are widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), peripheral organs, and immune system. This study measured the whole body distribution of MORs in rhesus macaques using the MOR selective radioligand [11C]carfentanil ([11C]CFN) on the PennPET Explorer. Both baseline and blocking studies were conducted using either naloxone or GSK1521498 to measure the effect of the antagonists on MOR binding in both CNS and peripheral organs. The PennPET Explorer was used for MOR total-body PET imaging in four rhesus macaques using [11C]CFN under baseline, naloxone pretreatment, and naloxone or GSK1521498 displacement conditions. Logan distribution volume ratio (DVR) was calculated by using a reference model to quantitate brain regions, and the standard uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were calculated for peripheral organs. The percent receptor occupancy (%RO) was calculated to establish the blocking effect of 0.14mg/kg naloxone or GSK1521498. The %RO in MOR-abundant brain regions was 75-90% for naloxone and 72-84% for GSK1521498 in blocking studies. A higher than 90% of %RO were observed in cervical spinal cord for both naloxone and GSK1521498. It took approximately 4-6min for naloxone or GSK1521498 to distribute to CNS and displace [11C]CFN from the MOR. A smaller effect was observed in heart wall in the naloxone and GSK1521498 blocking studies. [11C]CFN total-body PET scans could be a useful approach for studying mechanism of action of MOR drugs used in the treatment of acute and chronic opioid use disorder and their effect on the biodistribution of synthetic opioids such as CFN. GSK1521498 could be a potential naloxone alternative to reverse opioid overdose.

The prognostic value of lymph node to primary tumor standardized uptake value ratio in cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

The lymph node to primary tumor standardized uptake value ratio (NTR) is an innovative parameter derived from positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scans that captures the intricate relationship between primary tumors and associated lymph nodes. This meta-analysis aimed to investigate the prognostic value of NTR in cancer patients. A systematic search of PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase databases was conducted to identify studies investigating the association between NTR and survival outcomes in cancer patients. The pooled adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. Twelve studies comprising a total of 2037 patients were included in the meta-analysis. Elevated NTR was significantly associated with worse overall survival aHR (2.21, 95% CI 1.63 to 2.99), disease-free survival aHR (3.27, 95% CI 2.12 to 5.05), and distant metastasis-free survival aHR (2.07, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.78) in cancer patients. Subgroup analyses by cancer type showed consistent results across various malignancies, including head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, endometrial carcinoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, and nasopharyngeal carcinoma. This meta-analysis provides evidence for a significant association between elevated NTR and worse survival outcomes in cancer patients. Elevated NTR may serve as a useful prognostic biomarker for cancer patients and could potentially be used to guide treatment decisions and monitor disease progression. Future studies should aim to validate these findings in larger and more diverse patient populations and investigate the underlying mechanisms for the observed association between NTR and survival outcomes.

Assessment of [18F]PI-2620 Tau-PET Quantification via Non-Invasive Automatized Image Derived Input Function.

[18F]PI-2620 positron emission tomography (PET) detects misfolded tau in progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We questioned the feasibility and value of absolute [18F]PI-2620 PET quantification for assessing tau by regional distribution volumes (VT). Here, arterial input functions (AIF) represent the gold standard, but cannot be applied in routine clinical practice, whereas image-derived input functions (IDIF) represent a non-invasive alternative. We aimed to validate IDIF against AIF and we evaluated the potential to discriminate patients with PSP and AD from healthy controls by non-invasive quantification of [18F] PET. In the first part of the study, we validated AIF derived from radial artery whole blood against IDIF by investigating 20 subjects (ten controls and ten patients). IDIF were generated by manual extraction of the carotid artery using the average and the five highest (max5) voxel intensity values and by automated extraction of the carotid artery using the average and the maximum voxel intensity value. In the second part of the study, IDIF quantification using the IDIF with the closest match to the AIF was transferred to group comparison of a large independent cohort of 40 subjects (15 healthy controls, 15 PSP patients and 10 AD patients). We compared VT and VT ratios, both calculated by Logan plots, with distribution volume (DV) ratios using simplified reference tissue modelling and standardized uptake value (SUV) ratios. AIF and IDIF showed highly correlated input curves for all applied IDIF extraction methods (0.78 < r < 0.83, all p < 0.0001; area under the curves (AUC): 0.73 < r ≤ 0.82, all p ≤ 0.0003). Regarding the VT values, correlations were mainly found between those generated by the AIF and by the IDIF methods using the maximum voxel intensity values. Lowest relative differences (RD) were observed by applying the manual method using the five highest voxel intensity values (max5) (AIF vs. IDIF manual, avg: RD = -82%; AIF vs. IDIF automated, avg: RD = -86%; AIF vs. IDIF manual, max5: RD = -6%; AIF vs. IDIF automated, max: RD = -26%). Regional VT values revealed considerable variance at group level, which was strongly reduced upon scaling by the inferior cerebellum. The resulting VT ratio values were adequate to detect group differences between patients with PSP or AD and healthy controls (HC) (PSP target region (globus pallidus): HC vs. PSP vs. AD: 1.18 vs. 1.32 vs. 1.16; AD target region (Braak region I): HC vs. PSP vs. AD: 1.00 vs. 1.00 vs. 1.22). VT ratios and DV ratios outperformed SUV ratios and VT in detecting differences between PSP and healthy controls, whereas all quantification approaches performed similarly in comparing AD and healthy controls. Blood-free IDIF is a promising approach for quantification of [18F]PI-2620 PET, serving as correlating surrogate for invasive continuous arterial blood sampling. Regional [18F]PI-2620 VT show large variance, in contrast to regional [18F]PI-2620 VT ratios scaled with the inferior cerebellum, which are appropriate for discriminating PSP, AD and healthy controls. DV ratios obtained by simplified reference tissue modeling are similarly suitable for this purpose.

Molecular neuroimaging in dominantly inherited versus sporadic early-onset Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract Approximately 5% of Alzheimer’s Disease patients develop symptoms before age 65 (EOAD), with either sporadic (sEOAD) or dominantly inherited (DIAD) presentations. Both sEOAD and DIAD are characterized by brain amyloid-beta accumulation, tau tangles, hypometabolism and neurodegeneration, but differences in topography and magnitude of these pathological changes are not fully elucidated. In this study, we directly compared patterns of amyloid-beta plaque deposition and glucose hypometabolism in sEOAD and DIAD individuals. Our analysis included 134 symptomatic sEOAD Amyloid-PET positive cases from the University of California, San Francisco, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (mean ± standard deviation age 59.7 ± 5.6 years), 89 symptomatic DIAD cases (age 45.8 ± 9.3 years) and 102 cognitively unimpaired non-mutation carriers from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network study (age 44.9 ± 9.2). Each group underwent clinical and cognitive examinations, 11C-labeled Pittsburgh compound B-PET (PIB-PET) and structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET (FDG-PET) was also available for most participants. PET scans from both studies were uniformly processed to obtain Standardized Uptake Value Ratio (SUVR, PIB50-70 cerebellar gray reference, FDG30-60 pons reference) images. Statistical analyses included pairwise global and voxelwise group comparisons and group-independent component analyses. Analyses were performed also adjusting for covariates including age, sex, Mini-Mental State Examination, Apolipoprotein-ε4 status, and average composite cortical of Standardized Uptake Value Ratio. Compared to DIAD, sEOAD participants were older at age of onset (mean ± standard deviation, 54.8 ± 8.2 vs. 41.9 ± 8.2, Cohen’s d = 1.91), with more years of education (16.4 ± 2.8 vs. 13.5 ± 3.2, d = 1) and more likely to be Apolipoprotein-ε4 carriers (54.6% ε4 vs. 28.1%, Cramer’s V = 0.26), but similar Mini-Mental State Examination (20.6 ± 6.1 vs. 21.2 ± 7.4, d = 0.08). sEOAD had higher global cortical PIB-PET binding (mean ± standard deviation SUVR, 1.92 ± 0.29 vs. 1.58 ± 0.44, d = 0.96) and greater global cortical FDG-PET hypometabolism (mean ± standard deviation SUVR, 1.32 ± 0.1 vs. 1.39 ± 0.19, d = 0.48) compared to DIAD. Fully adjusted comparisons demonstrated relatively higher PIB-PET SUVR in the medial occipital, thalami, basal ganglia and medial/dorsal frontal regions in DIAD vs. sEOAD. sEOAD showed relatively greater FDG-PET hypometabolism in Alzheimer’s Disease signature temporoparietal regions and caudate nuclei, whereas DIAD showed relatively greater hypometabolism in frontal white matter and pericentral regions. Independent component analyses largely replicated these findings by highlighting common and unique PIB-PET and FDG-PET binding patterns. In summary, our findings suggest both common and distinct patterns of amyloid and glucose hypometabolismin in sporadic and dominantly inherited EOAD.

Exploration of neuroanatomical characteristics to differentiate prodromal Alzheimer’s disease from cognitively unimpaired amyloid-positive individuals

Differentiating clinical stages based solely on positive findings from amyloid PET is challenging. We aimed to investigate the neuroanatomical characteristics at the whole-brain level that differentiate prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (AD) from cognitively unimpaired amyloid-positive individuals (CU A+) in relation to amyloid deposition and regional atrophy. We included 45 CU A+ participants and 135 participants with amyloid-positive prodromal AD matched 1:3 by age, sex, and education. All participants underwent 18F-florbetaben positron emission tomography and 3D structural T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. We compared the standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs) and volumes in 80 regions of interest (ROIs) between CU A+ and prodromal AD groups using independent t-tests, and employed the least absolute selection and shrinkage operator (LASSO) logistic regression model to identify ROIs associated with prodromal AD in relation to amyloid deposition, regional atrophy, and their interaction. After applying False Discovery Rate correction at < 0.1, there were no differences in global and regional SUVR between CU A+ and prodromal AD groups. Regional volume differences between the two groups were observed in the amygdala, hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, insula, parahippocampal gyrus, and inferior temporal and parietal cortices. LASSO logistic regression model showed significant associations between prodromal AD and atrophy in the entorhinal cortex, inferior parietal cortex, both amygdalae, and left hippocampus. The mean SUVR in the right superior parietal cortex (beta coefficient = 0.0172) and its interaction with the regional volume (0.0672) were also selected in the LASSO model. The mean SUVR in the right superior parietal cortex was associated with an increased likelihood of prodromal AD (Odds ratio [OR] 1.602, p = 0.014), particularly in participants with lower regional volume (OR 3.389, p < 0.001). Only regional volume differences, not amyloid deposition, were observed between CU A+ and prodromal AD. The reduced volume in the superior parietal cortex may play a significant role in the progression to prodromal AD through its interaction with amyloid deposition in that region.

Clinical Performance Evaluation of an Artificial Intelligence-Powered Amyloid Brain PET Quantification Method

Abstract Purpose This study assesses the clinical performance of BTXBrain-Amyloid, an artificial intelligence-powered software for quantifying amyloid uptake in brain PET images. Methods 150 amyloid brain PET images were visually assessed by experts and categorized as negative and positive. Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) was calculated with cerebellum grey matter as the reference region, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and precision-recall (PR) analysis for BTXBrain-Amyloid were conducted. For comparison, same image processing and analysis was performed using Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) program. In addition, to evaluate the spatial normalization (SN) performance, mutual information (MI) between MRI template and spatially normalized PET images was calculated and SPM group analysis was conducted. Results Both BTXBrain and SPM methods discriminated between negative and positive groups. However, BTXBrain exhibited lower SUVR standard deviation (0.06 and 0.21 for negative and positive, respectively) than SPM method (0.11 and 0.25). In ROC analysis, BTXBrain had an AUC of 0.979, compared to 0.959 for SPM, while PR curves showed an AUC of 0.983 for BTXBrain and 0.949 for SPM. At the optimal cut-off, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.983 and 0.921 for BTXBrain and 0.917 and 0.921 for SPM12, respectively. MI evaluation also favored BTXBrain (0.848 vs. 0.823), indicating improved SN. In SPM group analysis, BTXBrain exhibited higher sensitivity in detecting basal ganglia differences between negative and positive groups. Conclusion BTXBrain-Amyloid outperformed SPM in clinical performance evaluation, also demonstrating superior SN and improved detection of deep brain differences. These results suggest the potential of BTXBrain-Amyloid as a valuable tool for clinical amyloid PET image evaluation.

Abstract PS05-02: PET Imaging of PARP Expression as a Biomarker of Response to Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial

Abstract Introduction: Poly–(adenosine diphosphate–ribose) polymerase (PARP) proteins are involved in double-stranded break repair, mediated through homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). The majority of PARP activity in this context is attributed to PARP-1 (85-90%). PARP-1 binding to damaged DNA, catalytic activity, and subsequent release to allow access for other DNA repair proteins are necessary for efficient DNA repair. The critical function of PARP-1 in these processes makes this protein a unique potential biomarker of DNA repair capability. [18F]FluorThanatrace ([18F]FTT) is an 18F-labeled PARP inhibitor analog that binds to the same site as approved PARPi drugs. We hypothesized that the biologically relevant form of PARP in untreated breast cancer might provide an indication of functional tumor DNA repair capabilities and therefore predict chemotherapy response. Thus, this study aimed to determine whether a non-invasive quantitative measure of in vivo PARP expression correlated with response to chemotherapy in breast cancer. Methods: A single-arm prospective trial enriched for subjects with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) was conducted at the University of Pennsylvania from May 2017 to March 2022 (NCT03083288 and NCT03846167). Inclusion criteria were primary breast cancer with tumor diameter of at least 1 cm on conventional imaging and willingness to undergo an [18F]FTT-PET scan prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Participants provided written informed consent. [18F]FTT uptake in breast cancer was measured pre-therapy and tested for association with pathologic complete response (pCR). Subjects were scanned on an Ingenuity TF PET/CT (Philips Healthcare) following injection of [18F]FTT using a 20-minute static acquisition. Peak 1 cm3 average uptake (SUVpeak) were recorded from a spherical region-of-interest (ROI) covering the primary malignancy, guided by CT and prior imaging studies. All SUVs were partial volume corrected and normalized using muscle (NM). A Mann-Whitney test was used to determine if [18F]FTT uptake differed by pCR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to test the performance of [18F]FTT uptake in predicting pCR. Statistical analyses utilized STATA v15.1 with significance based on a two-sided alpha level of ≤0.05. Participants: Twenty-six women with stage I-III breast cancer met inclusion criteria with age range of 29-74 years and self-reported race as Asian (1, 4%), Black (9, 37%) or White (16, 60%). One subject had bilateral tumors (ER+ stage IIA and HER2+ stage I) that were evaluated separately (27 total tumors). Breast tumors were pathologically confirmed and included 6 (22%) ER+/HER2-, 5 (19%) HER2+, and 16 (59%) TNBC. Germline sequencing was available for 21 participants. Results: Mean tumor diameter ranged from 15 to 91 mm (median 30 mm). A considerable range of [18F]FTT uptake was seen across subjects (SUVpeak/NM 0.66-6.5). [18F]FTT uptake was independent of subtype (ER+, HER2+, TN) (P=0.35), stage (P=0.39), and between mutations in genes associated with homologous recombination deficiency (i.e., BRCA1/2, PALB2) and wild-type (P=0.73). In the TNBC cohort, pre-treatment [18F]FTT uptake was higher in subjects who went on to have a pCR (n=16, P=0.05), while a trend toward higher uptake was seen when including all tumor types (n=27, P=0.11). ROC analysis of the value of [18F]FTT uptake for predicting pCR revealed an AUC of 0.79 and showed that a threshold SUV ratio &amp;lt; 2.47 predicted pCR in TNBC patients with a 100% specificity and 64% sensitivity. Conclusions: These early clinical results suggest a relationship between [18F]FTT uptake, a measure of PARP expression, and chemotherapy sensitivity in TNBC, warranting future studies to elucidate underlying mechanistic processes and potential clinical implications. Citation Format: Sarah Gitto, Anthony Young, Ira Bleiweiss, Amy Clark, Elizabeth McDonald. PET Imaging of PARP Expression as a Biomarker of Response to Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: A Nonrandomized Clinical Trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2023 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(9 Suppl):Abstract nr PS05-02.

Microglia Density and Its Association With Disease Duration, Severity, and Orexin Levels in Patients With Narcolepsy Type 1.

Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is due to the loss of hypothalamic neurons that produce orexin (ORX), by a suspected immune-mediated process. Rare postmortem studies are available and failed to detect any inflammation in the hypothalamic region, but these brains were collected years after the first symptoms. In vivo studies close to disease onset are lacking. We aimed to explore microglia density in the hypothalamus and thalamus in NT1 compared with controls using [18F]DPA-714 PET and to study in NT1 the relationships between microglia density in the hypothalamus and in other regions of interest (ROIs) with disease duration, severity, and ORX levels. Patients with NT1 and controls underwent a standardized clinical evaluation and [18F]DPA-714 PET imaging using a radiolabeled ligand specific to the 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO). TSPO genotyping determined receptor affinity. Images were processed on peripheral module interface using standard uptake value (SUV) on ROIs: hypothalamus, thalamus, frontal area, cerebellum, and the whole brain. SUV ratios (SUVr) were calculated by normalizing SUV with cerebellum uptake. A total of 41 patients with NT1 (21 adults, 20 children, 10 with recent disease onset <1 year) and 35 controls were included, with no significant difference between groups for [18F]DPA-714 binding (SUV/SUVr) in the hypothalamus and thalamus. Unexpectedly, significantly lower SUVr in the whole brain was found in NT1 compared with controls (0.97 ± 0.06 vs 1.08 ± 0.22, p = 0.04). The same finding between NT1 and controls in the whole brain was observed in those with high or mixed TSPO affinity (p = 0.03 and p = 0.04). Similar trend was observed in the frontal area in NT1 (0.96 ± 0.09 vs 1.09 ± 0.25, p = 0.05). In NT1, no association was found between SUVr in different ROIs and age, disease duration, severity, or ORX levels. We found no evidence of in vivo increased microglia density in NT1 compared with controls, even close to disease onset, and even unexpectedly a decrease in the whole brain of these patients. These findings do not support the presence of neuroinflammation in the destruction process of ORX neurons. ClinicalTrials.org NCT03754348.

Association of Basal Forebrain Volume with Amyloid, Tau, and Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease.

Degeneration of cholinergic basal forebrain (BF) neurons characterizes Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, what role the BF plays in the dynamics of AD pathophysiology has not been investigated precisely. To investigate the baseline and longitudinal roles of BF along with core neuropathologies in AD. In this retrospective cohort study, we enrolled 113 subjects (38 amyloid [Aβ]-negative cognitively unimpaired, 6 Aβ-positive cognitively unimpaired, 39 with prodromal AD, and 30 with AD dementia) who performed brain MRI for BF volume and cortical thickness, 18F-florbetaben PET for Aβ, 18F-flortaucipir PET for tau, and detailed cognitive testing longitudinally. We investigated the baseline and longitudinal association of BF volume with Aβ and tau standardized uptake value ratio and cognition. Cross-sectionally, lower BF volume was not independently associated with higher cortical Aβ, but it was associated with tau burden. Tau burden in the orbitofrontal, insular, lateral temporal, inferior temporo-occipital, and anterior cingulate cortices were associated with progressive BF atrophy. Lower BF volume was associated with faster Aβ accumulation, mainly in the prefrontal, anterior temporal, cingulate, and medial occipital cortices. BF volume was associated with progressive decline in language and memory functions regardless of baseline Aβ and tau burden. Tau deposition affected progressive BF atrophy, which in turn accelerated amyloid deposition, leading to a vicious cycle. Also, lower baseline BF volume independently predicted deterioration in cognitive function.

Expression of regional brain amyloid-β deposition with [18F]Flutemetamol in Centiloid scale -a multi-site study.

The Centiloid project helps calibrate the quantitative amyloid-β (Aβ) load into a unified Centiloid (CL) scale that allows data comparison across multi-site. How the smaller regional amyloid converted into CL has not been attempted. We first aimed to express regional Aβ deposition in CL using [18F]Flutemetamol and evaluate regional Aβ deposition in CL with that in standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr). Second, we aimed to determine the presence or absence of focal Aβ deposition by measuring regional CL in equivocal cases showing negative global CL. Following the Centiloid project pipeline, Level-1 replication, Level-2 calibration, and quality control were completed to generate corresponding Centiloid conversion equations to convert SUVr into Centiloid at regional levels. In equivocal cases, the regional CL was compared with visual inspection to evaluate regional Aβ positivity. 14 out of 16 regional conversions from [18F]Flutemetamol SUVr to Centiloid successfully passed the quality control, showing good reliability and relative variance, especially precuneus/posterior cingulate and prefrontal regions with good stability for Centiloid scaling. The absence of focal Aβ deposition could be detected by measuring regional CL, showing a high agreement rate with visual inspection. The regional Aβ positivity in the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex was most prevalent in equivocal cases. The expression of regional brain Aβ deposition in CL with [18F]Flutemetamol has been attempted in this study. Equivocal cases had focal Aβ deposition that can be detected by measuring regional CL.

Relationship between neuroimaging and cognition in frontotemporal dementia: An FDG-PET and structural MRI study.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinically and pathologically heterogeneous neurodegenerative condition with a prevalence comparable to Alzheimer's disease for patients under 65 years of age. Limited studies have examined the association between cognition and neuroimaging in FTD using different imaging modalities. We examined the association of cognition using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) with both gray matter (GM) volume and glucose metabolism using magnetic resonance imaging and fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET in 21 patients diagnosed with FTD. Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) using the brainstem as a reference region was the primary outcome measure for FDG-PET. Partial volume correction was applied to PET data to account for disease-related atrophy. Significant positive associations were found between whole-cortex GM volume and MoCA scores (r = 0.46, p =.04). The association between whole-cortex FDG SUVR and MoCA scores was not significant (r = 0.37, p =.09). GM volumes of the frontal cortex (r = 0.54, p =.01), caudate (r = 0.62, p<.01), and insula (r = 0.57, p<.01) were also significantly correlated with MoCA, as were SUVR values of the insula (r = 0.51, p =.02), thalamus (r = 0.48, p =.03), and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) (r = 0.47, p =.03). Whole-cortex atrophy is associated with cognitive dysfunction, and this association is larger than for whole-cortex hypometabolism as measured with FDG-PET. At the regional level, focal atrophy and/or hypometabolism in the frontal cortex, insula, PCC, thalamus, and caudate seem to be important for the decline of cognitive function in FTD. Furthermore, these results highlight how functional and structural changes may not overlap and might contribute to cognitive dysfunction in FTD in different ways.

Characterizing brain tau and cognitive decline along the amyloid timeline in Alzheimer's disease.

Recent longitudinal PET imaging studies have established methods to estimate the age at which amyloid becomes abnormal at the level of the individual. Here we recontextualized amyloid levels into the temporal domain to better understand the downstream Alzheimer's disease processes of tau neurofibrillary tangle (NFT) accumulation and cognitive decline. This cohort study included a total of 601 individuals from the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention and Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center that underwent amyloid and tau PET, longitudinal neuropsychological assessments, and met clinical criteria for three clinical diagnosis groups: cognitively unimpaired (CU; n=537); mild cognitive impairment (MCI; n=48); or dementia (n=16)). Cortical 11C-Pittsburgh compound B (PiB) distribution volume ratio (DVR) and sampled iterative local approximation were used to estimate amyloid positive (A+; global PiB DVR>1.16 equivalent to 17.1 Centiloids) onset age and years of A+ duration at tau PET (i.e., amyloid chronicity). Tau PET burden was quantified using 18F-MK-6240 standardized uptake value ratios (SUVRs; 70-90 min, inferior cerebellar gray matter reference region). Whole-brain and region-specific approaches were used to examine tau PET binding along the amyloid timeline and across the Alzheimer's disease clinical continuum. Voxel-wise 18F-MK-6240 analyses revealed that with each decade of A+, the spatial extent of measurable tau spread (i.e., progressed) from regions associated with early to late NFT tau stages. Regional analyses indicated that tau burden in the entorhinal cortex was detectable, on average, within ten years of A+ onset. Additionally, the entorhinal cortex was the region most sensitive to early amyloid pathology and clinical impairment in this predominantly preclinical sample. Among initially CU (n=472) individuals with longitudinal cognitive follow-up, mixed effects models showed significant linear and non-linear interactions of A+ duration and entorhinal tau on cognitive decline, suggesting a synergistic effect whereby greater A+ duration together with a higher entorhinal tau burden increases the likelihood of cognitive decline beyond their separable effects. Overall, the amyloid time framework enabled a spatiotemporal characterization of tau deposition patterns across the Alzheimer's disease continuum. This approach, which examined cross-sectional tau PET data along the amyloid timeline to make longitudinal disease-course inferences, demonstrated that A+ duration explains a considerable amount of variability in the magnitude and topography of tau spread, which largely recapitulated NFT staging observed in human neuropathological studies. By anchoring disease progression to the onset of amyloid, this study provides a temporal disease context which may help inform disease prognosis and timing windows for anti-amyloid therapies.

Development and Preclinical Evaluation of a Copper-64-Labeled Antibody Targeting Glycine-Alanine Dipeptides for PET Imaging of C9orf72-Associated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/Frontotemporal Dementia.

Aggregating poly(glycine-alanine) (poly-GA) is derived from the unconventional translation of the pathogenic intronic hexanucleotide repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene, which is the most common genetic cause of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Poly-GA accumulates predominantly in neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions unique to C9orf72 ALS/FTD patients. Poly-GA is, therefore, a promising target for PET/CT imaging of FTD/ALS to monitor disease progression and therapeutic interventions. A novel 64Cu-labeled anti-GA antibody (mAb1A12) targeting the poly-GA protein was developed and evaluated in a transgenic mouse model. It was obtained with high radiochemical purity (RCP), radiochemical yield (RCY), and specific activity, and showed high stability in vitro and ex vivo and specifically bound to poly-GA. The affinity of NODAGA-mAb1A12 for poly-GA was not affected by this modification. [64Cu]Cu-NODAGA-mAb1A12 was injected into transgenic mice expressing GFP-(GA)175 in excitatory neurons driven by Camk2a-Cre and in control littermates. PET/CT imaging was performed at 2, 20, and 40 h post-injection (p.i.) and revealed a higher accumulation in the cortex in transgenic mice than in wild-type mice, as reflected by higher standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) using the cerebellum as the reference region. The organs were isolated for biodistribution and ex vivo autoradiography. Autoradiography revealed a higher cortex-to-cerebellum ratio in the transgenic mice than in the controls. Results from autoradiography were validated by immunohistochemistry and poly-GA immunoassays. Moreover, we confirmed antibody uptake in the CNS in a pharmacokinetic study of the perfused tissues. In summary, [64Cu]Cu-NODAGA-mAb1A12 demonstrated favorable in vitro characteristics and an increased relative binding in poly-GA transgenic mice compared to wild-type mice in vivo. Our results with this first-in-class radiotracer suggested that targeting poly-GA is a promising approach for PET/CT imaging in FTD/ALS.

The AHA/ASA and DSM-V diagnostic criteria for vascular cognitive impairment identify cases with predominant vascular pathology.

There are major challenges in determining the etiology of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) clinically, especially in the presence of mixed pathologies, such as vascular and amyloid. Most recently, two criteria (American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-V)) have been proposed for the clinical diagnosis of VCI but have not as yet been validated using neuroimaging. This study aims to determine whether the AHA/ASA and DSM-V criteria for VCI can distinguish between cases with predominantly vascular pathology and cases with mixed pathology. A total of 186 subjects were recruited from a cross-sectional memory clinic-based study at the National University Hospital, Singapore. All subjects underwent clinical and neuropsychological assessment, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh Compound B ([11C] PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Diagnosis of the etiological subtypes of VCI (probable vascular mild cognitive impairment (VaMCI), possible VaMCI, non-VaMCI, probable vascular dementia (VaD), possible VaD, non-VaD) were performed following AHA/ASA and DSM-V criteria. Brain amyloid burden was determined for each subject with standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) values ⩾1.5 classified as amyloid positive. Using κ statistics, both criteria had excellent agreement for probable VaMCI, probable VaD, and possible VaD (κ = 1.00), and good for possible VaMCI (κ = 0.71). Using the AHA/ASA criteria, the amyloid positivity of probable VaMCI (3.8%) and probable VaD (15%) was significantly lower compared to possible VaMCI (26.7%), non-VaMCI (33.3%), possible VaD (73.3%), and non-VaD (76.2%) (p < 0.001). Similarly, using the DSM-V criteria, the amyloid positivity of probable VaMCI (3.8%) and probable VaD (15%) was significantly lower compared to possible VaMCI (26.3%), non-VaMCI (32.1%), possible VaD (73.3%), and non-VaD (76.2%) (p < 0.001). In both criteria, there was good agreement in differentiating individuals with non-VaD and possible VaD, with significantly higher (p < 0.001) global [11C]-PiB SUVR, from individuals with probable VaMCI and probable VaD, who had predominant vascular pathology. The AHA/ASA and DSM-V criteria for VCI can identify VCI cases with little to no concomitant amyloid pathology, hence supporting the utility of AHA/ASA and DSM-V criteria in diagnosing patients with predominant vascular pathology. Data supporting this study are available from the Memory Aging and Cognition Center, National University of Singapore. Access to the data is subject to approval and a data sharing agreement due to University policy.

Feature Importance Analysis and Machine Learning for Alzheimer's Disease Early Detection: Feature Fusion of the Hippocampus, Entorhinal Cortex, and Standardized Uptake Value Ratio.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by mild memory loss and ranks as a leading cause of mortality in the USA, accounting for approximately 120,000 deaths per year. It is also the primary form of dementia. Early detection is critical for timely intervention as the neurodegenerative process often starts 15-20 years before cognitive symptoms manifest. This study focuses on determining feature importance in AD classification using fused texture features from 3D magnetic resonance imaging hippocampal and entorhinal cortex and standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) derived from positron emission tomography (PET) images. To achieve this objective, we employed four distinct classifiers (Linear Support Vector Classification, Linear Discriminant Analysis, Logistic Regression, and Logistic Regression Classifier with Stochastic Gradient Descent Learning). These classifiers were used to derive both average and top-ranked importance scores for each feature based on their outputs. Our framework is designed to distinguish between two classes, AD-negative (or mild cognitive impairment stable [MCIs]) and AD-positive (or MCI conversion [MCIc]), using a probabilistic neural network classifier and the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. The findings from the feature importance highlight the crucial role of the GLCM texture features extracted from the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, demonstrating their superior performance compared to the volume and SUVR. GLCM texture AD classification achieved approximately 90% sensitivity in identifying MCIc cases while maintaining low false positives (below 30%) when fused with other features. Moreover, the receiver operating characteristic curves validate the GLCMs' superior performance in distinguishing between MCIs and MCIc. Additionally, fusing different types of features improved classification performance compared to relying solely on any single feature category. Our study emphasizes the pivotal role of GLCM texture features in early Alzheimer's detection.

Phantom and clinical evaluation of the Bayesian penalised likelihood reconstruction algorithm Q.Clear without PSF correction in amyloid PET images

PurposeBayesian penalised likelihood (BPL) reconstruction, which incorporates point-spread-function (PSF) correction, provides higher signal-to-noise ratios and more accurate quantitation than conventional ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) reconstruction. However, applying PSF correction to brain PET imaging is controversial due to Gibbs artefacts that manifest as unpredicted cortical uptake enhancement. The present study aimed to validate whether BPL without PSF would be useful for amyloid PET imaging.MethodsImages were acquired from Hoffman 3D brain and cylindrical phantoms for phantom study and 71 patients administered with [18F]flutemetamol in clinical study using a Discovery MI. All images were reconstructed using OSEM, BPL with PSF correction, and BPL without PSF correction. Count profile, %contrast, recovery coefficients (RCs), and image noise were calculated from the images acquired from the phantoms. Amyloid β deposition in patients was visually assessed by two physicians and quantified based on the standardised uptake value ratio (SUVR).ResultsThe overestimated radioactivity in profile curves was eliminated using BPL without PSF correction. The %contrast and image noise decreased with increasing β values in phantom images. Image quality and RCs were better using BPL with, than without PSF correction or OSEM. An optimal β value of 600 was determined for BPL without PSF correction. Visual evaluation almost agreed perfectly (κ = 0.91–0.97), without depending on reconstruction methods. Composite SUVRs did not significantly differ between reconstruction methods.ConclusionGibbs artefacts disappeared from phantom images using the BPL without PSF correction. Visual and quantitative evaluation of [18F]flutemetamol imaging was independent of the reconstruction method. The BPL without PSF correction could be the standard reconstruction method for amyloid PET imaging, despite being qualitatively inferior to BPL with PSF correction for [18F]flutemetamol amyloid PET imaging.

In vivo translocator protein in females with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study.

Sex-based differences in the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are well-documented, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 4:1. The clinical presentation of the core symptoms of ASD can also vary between sexes. Previously, positron emission tomography (PET) studies have identified alterations in the in vivo levels of translocator protein (TSPO)-a mitochondrial protein-in primarily or only male adults with ASD, with our group reporting lower TSPO relative to whole brain mean in males with ASD. However, whether in vivo TSPO levels are altered in females with ASD, specifically, is unknown. This is the first pilot study to measure in vivo TSPO in the brain in adult females with ASD using [11C]PBR28 PET-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Twelve adult females with ASD and 10 age- and TSPO genotype-matched controls (CON) completed one or two [11C]PBR28 PET-MRI scans. Females with ASD exhibited elevated [11C]PBR28 standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) in the midcingulate cortex and splenium of the corpus callosum compared to CON. No brain area showed lower [11C]PBR28 SUVR in females with ASD compared to CON. Test-retest over several months showed stable [11C]PBR28 SUVR across time in both groups. Elevated regional [11C]PBR28 SUVR in females with ASD stand in stark contrast to our previous findings of lower regional [11C]PBR28 SUVR in males with ASD. Preliminary evidence of regionally elevated mitochondrial protein TSPO relative to whole brain mean in ASD females may reflect neuroimmuno-metabolic alterations specific to females with ASD.