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European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging

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08-03-2022 | Frontotemporal Dementia | Original Article

Unified spatial normalization method of brain PET images using adaptive probabilistic brain atlas

Authors: Tianhao Zhang, Binbin Nie, Hua Liu, Baoci Shan, Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative

Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging | Issue 9/2022

Abstract

Purpose

A unique advantage of the brain positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is the ability to image different biological processes with different radiotracers. However, the diversity of the brain PET image patterns also makes their spatial normalization challenging. Since structural MR images are not always available in the clinical practice, this study proposed a PET-only spatial normalization method based on adaptive probabilistic brain atlas.

Methods

The proposed method (atlas-based method) consists of two parts, an adaptive probabilistic brain atlas generation algorithm, and a probabilistic framework for registering PET image to the generated atlas. To validate this method, the results of MRI-based method and template-based method (a widely used PET-only method) were treated as the gold standard and control, respectively. A total of 286 brain PET images, including seven radiotracers (FDG, PIB, FBB, AV-45, AV-1451, AV-133, [¹⁸F]altanserin) and four groups of subjects (Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, frontotemporal dementia, and healthy control), were spatially normalized using the three methods. The results were then quantitatively compared by using correlation analysis, meta region of interest (meta-ROI) standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) analysis, and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis.

Results

The Pearson correlation coefficient between the images computed by atlas-based method and the gold standard was 0.908 ± 0.005. The relative error of meta-ROI SUVR computed by atlas-based method was 2.12 ± 0.18%. Compared with template-based method, atlas-based method was also more consistent with the gold standard in SPM analysis.

Conclusion

The proposed method provides a unified approach to spatially normalize brain PET images of different radiotracers accurately without MR images. A free MATLAB toolbox for this method has been provided.

Available only for authorised users

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Title: Unified spatial normalization method of brain PET images using adaptive probabilistic brain atlas
Authors: Tianhao Zhang
Binbin Nie
Hua Liu
Baoci Shan
Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Publication date: 08-03-2022
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Keywords: Frontotemporal Dementia
Frontotemporal Dementia
Positron Emission Tomography
Parkinson's Disease
Published in: European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging / Issue 9/2022
Print ISSN: 1619-7070
Electronic ISSN: 1619-7089
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-022-05752-6

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Unified spatial normalization method of brain PET images using adaptive probabilistic brain atlas

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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