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Jovalekic A, Roé-Vellvé N, Koglin N, Quintana ML, Nelson A, Diemling M, Lilja J, Gómez-González JP, Doré V, Bourgeat P, Whittington A, Gunn R, Stephens AW, Bullich S. Validation of quantitative assessment of florbetaben PET scans as an adjunct to the visual assessment across 15 software methods. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2023; 50:3276-3289. [PMID: 37300571 PMCID: PMC10542295 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-023-06279-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F]florbetaben (FBB) is an established tool for detecting Aβ deposition in the brain in vivo based on visual assessment of PET scans. Quantitative measures are commonly used in the research context and allow continuous measurement of amyloid burden. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the robustness of FBB PET quantification. METHODS This is a retrospective analysis of FBB PET images from 589 subjects. PET scans were quantified with 15 analytical methods using nine software packages (MIMneuro, Hermes BRASS, Neurocloud, Neurology Toolkit, statistical parametric mapping (SPM8), PMOD Neuro, CapAIBL, non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), AmyloidIQ) that used several metrics to estimate Aβ load (SUVR, centiloid, amyloid load, and amyloid index). Six analytical methods reported centiloid (MIMneuro, standard centiloid, Neurology Toolkit, SPM8 (PET only), CapAIBL, NMF). All results were quality controlled. RESULTS The mean sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 96.1 ± 1.6%, 96.9 ± 1.0%, and 96.4 ± 1.1%, respectively, for all quantitative methods tested when compared to histopathology, where available. The mean percentage of agreement between binary quantitative assessment across all 15 methods and visual majority assessment was 92.4 ± 1.5%. Assessments of reliability, correlation analyses, and comparisons across software packages showed excellent performance and consistent results between analytical methods. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that quantitative methods using both CE marked software and other widely available processing tools provided comparable results to visual assessments of FBB PET scans. Software quantification methods, such as centiloid analysis, can complement visual assessment of FBB PET images and could be used in the future for identification of early amyloid deposition, monitoring disease progression and treatment effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Vincent Doré
- Department of Molecular Imaging & Therapy, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
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Peretti DE, Ribaldi F, Scheffler M, Mu L, Treyer V, Gietl AF, Hock C, Frisoni GB, Garibotto V. ATN profile classification across two independent prospective cohorts. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1168470. [PMID: 37559930 PMCID: PMC10407659 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1168470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ATN model represents a research framework used to describe in subjects the presence or absence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology through biomarkers. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of different ATN profiles using quantitative imaging biomarkers in two independent cohorts, and to evaluate the pertinence of ATN biomarkers to identify comparable populations across independent cohorts. METHODS A total of 172 subjects from the Geneva Memory Clinic and 113 volunteers from a study on healthy aging at the University Hospital of Zurich underwent amyloid (A) and tau (T) PET, as well as T1-weigthed MRI scans using site-specific protocols. Subjects were classified by cognition (cognitively unimpaired, CU, or impaired, CI) based on clinical assessment by experts. Amyloid data converted into the standardized centiloid scale, tau PET data normalized to cerebellar uptake, and hippocampal volume expressed as a ratio over total intracranial volume ratio were considered as biomarkers for A, T, and neurodegeneration (N), respectively. Positivity for each biomarker was defined based on previously published thresholds. Subjects were then classified according to the ATN model. Differences among profiles were tested using Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, and between cohorts using Wilcoxon tests. RESULTS Twenty-nine percent of subjects from the Geneva cohorts were classified with a normal (A-T-N-) profile, while the Zurich cohort included 64% of subjects in the same category. Meanwhile, 63% of the Geneva and 16% of the Zurich cohort were classified within the AD continuum (being A+ regardless of other biomarkers' statuses). Within cohorts, ATN profiles were significantly different for age and mini-mental state examination scores, but not for years of education. Age was not significantly different between cohorts. In general, imaging A and T biomarkers were significantly different between cohorts, but they were no longer significantly different when stratifying the cohorts by ATN profile. N was not significantly different between cohorts. CONCLUSION Stratifying subjects into ATN profiles provides comparable groups of subjects even when individual recruitment followed different criteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Débora E. Peretti
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Innovative Molecular Tracers (NIMTlab), Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Neurocenter, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Federica Ribaldi
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Max Scheffler
- Division of Radiology, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Linjing Mu
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Valerie Treyer
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anton F. Gietl
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Hock
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital of Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine (IREM), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni B. Frisoni
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging of Aging (LANVIE), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Memory Clinic, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Valentina Garibotto
- Laboratory of Neuroimaging and Innovative Molecular Tracers (NIMTlab), Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Neurocenter, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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Pemberton HG, Collij LE, Heeman F, Bollack A, Shekari M, Salvadó G, Alves IL, Garcia DV, Battle M, Buckley C, Stephens AW, Bullich S, Garibotto V, Barkhof F, Gispert JD, Farrar G. Quantification of amyloid PET for future clinical use: a state-of-the-art review. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging 2022; 49:3508-3528. [PMID: 35389071 PMCID: PMC9308604 DOI: 10.1007/s00259-022-05784-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology is one of the earliest detectable brain changes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. The overall load and spatial distribution of brain Aβ can be determined in vivo using positron emission tomography (PET), for which three fluorine-18 labelled radiotracers have been approved for clinical use. In clinical practice, trained readers will categorise scans as either Aβ positive or negative, based on visual inspection. Diagnostic decisions are often based on these reads and patient selection for clinical trials is increasingly guided by amyloid status. However, tracer deposition in the grey matter as a function of amyloid load is an inherently continuous process, which is not sufficiently appreciated through binary cut-offs alone. State-of-the-art methods for amyloid PET quantification can generate tracer-independent measures of Aβ burden. Recent research has shown the ability of these quantitative measures to highlight pathological changes at the earliest stages of the AD continuum and generate more sensitive thresholds, as well as improving diagnostic confidence around established binary cut-offs. With the recent FDA approval of aducanumab and more candidate drugs on the horizon, early identification of amyloid burden using quantitative measures is critical for enrolling appropriate subjects to help establish the optimal window for therapeutic intervention and secondary prevention. In addition, quantitative amyloid measurements are used for treatment response monitoring in clinical trials. In clinical settings, large multi-centre studies have shown that amyloid PET results change both diagnosis and patient management and that quantification can accurately predict rates of cognitive decline. Whether these changes in management reflect an improvement in clinical outcomes is yet to be determined and further validation work is required to establish the utility of quantification for supporting treatment endpoint decisions. In this state-of-the-art review, several tools and measures available for amyloid PET quantification are summarised and discussed. Use of these methods is growing both clinically and in the research domain. Concurrently, there is a duty of care to the wider dementia community to increase visibility and understanding of these methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugh G Pemberton
- GE Healthcare, Amersham, UK.
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK.
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Lyduine E Collij
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Fiona Heeman
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ariane Bollack
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Mahnaz Shekari
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gemma Salvadó
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | - Isadora Lopes Alves
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Brain Research Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - David Vallez Garcia
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Battle
- GE Healthcare, Amersham, UK
- Clinical Memory Research Unit, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
| | | | | | | | - Valentina Garibotto
- Division of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
- NIMTLab, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Frederik Barkhof
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, University College London, London, UK
- UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam Neurocience, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Juan Domingo Gispert
- Barcelonaβeta Brain Research Center (BBRC), Pasqual Maragall Foundation, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Madrid, Spain
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Bullich S, Roé-Vellvé N, Marquié M, Landau SM, Barthel H, Villemagne VL, Sanabria Á, Tartari JP, Sotolongo-Grau O, Doré V, Koglin N, Müller A, Perrotin A, Jovalekic A, De Santi S, Tárraga L, Stephens AW, Rowe CC, Sabri O, Seibyl JP, Boada M. Early detection of amyloid load using 18F-florbetaben PET. ALZHEIMERS RESEARCH & THERAPY 2021; 13:67. [PMID: 33773598 PMCID: PMC8005243 DOI: 10.1186/s13195-021-00807-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 03/26/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A low amount and extent of Aβ deposition at early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may limit the use of previously developed pathology-proven composite SUVR cutoffs. This study aims to characterize the population with earliest abnormal Aβ accumulation using 18F-florbetaben PET. Quantitative thresholds for the early (SUVRearly) and established (SUVRestab) Aβ deposition were developed, and the topography of early Aβ deposition was assessed. Subsequently, Aβ accumulation over time, progression from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to AD dementia, and tau deposition were assessed in subjects with early and established Aβ deposition. METHODS The study population consisted of 686 subjects (n = 287 (cognitively normal healthy controls), n = 166 (subjects with subjective cognitive decline (SCD)), n = 129 (subjects with MCI), and n = 101 (subjects with AD dementia)). Three categories in the Aβ-deposition continuum were defined based on the developed SUVR cutoffs: Aβ-negative subjects, subjects with early Aβ deposition ("gray zone"), and subjects with established Aβ pathology. RESULTS SUVR using the whole cerebellum as the reference region and centiloid (CL) cutoffs for early and established amyloid pathology were 1.10 (13.5 CL) and 1.24 (35.7 CL), respectively. Cingulate cortices and precuneus, frontal, and inferior lateral temporal cortices were the regions showing the initial pathological tracer retention. Subjects in the "gray zone" or with established Aβ pathology accumulated more amyloid over time than Aβ-negative subjects. After a 4-year clinical follow-up, none of the Aβ-negative or the gray zone subjects progressed to AD dementia while 91% of the MCI subjects with established Aβ pathology progressed. Tau deposition was infrequent in those subjects without established Aβ pathology. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the utility of using two cutoffs for amyloid PET abnormality defining a "gray zone": a lower cutoff of 13.5 CL indicating emerging Aβ pathology and a higher cutoff of 35.7 CL where amyloid burden levels correspond to established neuropathology findings. These cutoffs define a subset of subjects characterized by pre-AD dementia levels of amyloid burden that precede other biomarkers such as tau deposition or clinical symptoms and accelerated amyloid accumulation. The determination of different amyloid loads, particularly low amyloid levels, is useful in determining who will eventually progress to dementia. Quantitation of amyloid provides a sensitive measure in these low-load cases and may help to identify a group of subjects most likely to benefit from intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION Data used in this manuscript belong to clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT00928304 , NCT00750282 , NCT01138111 , NCT02854033 ) and EudraCT (2014-000798-38).
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Affiliation(s)
- Santiago Bullich
- Life Molecular Imaging GmbH, Tegeler Str. 6-7, 13353, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Núria Roé-Vellvé
- Life Molecular Imaging GmbH, Tegeler Str. 6-7, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marta Marquié
- Fundació ACE Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Research Center and Memory Unit - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Susan M Landau
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Henryk Barthel
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Victor L Villemagne
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.,Departments of Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ángela Sanabria
- Fundació ACE Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Research Center and Memory Unit - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan Pablo Tartari
- Fundació ACE Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Research Center and Memory Unit - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Oscar Sotolongo-Grau
- Fundació ACE Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Research Center and Memory Unit - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vincent Doré
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,The Australian e-Health Research Centre, Health and Biosecurity, CSIRO, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Norman Koglin
- Life Molecular Imaging GmbH, Tegeler Str. 6-7, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andre Müller
- Life Molecular Imaging GmbH, Tegeler Str. 6-7, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Audrey Perrotin
- Life Molecular Imaging GmbH, Tegeler Str. 6-7, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | | | | | - Lluís Tárraga
- Fundació ACE Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Research Center and Memory Unit - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrew W Stephens
- Life Molecular Imaging GmbH, Tegeler Str. 6-7, 13353, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christopher C Rowe
- Departments of Medicine and Molecular Imaging, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Osama Sabri
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Mercè Boada
- Fundació ACE Institut Català de Neurociències Aplicades, Research Center and Memory Unit - Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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