CenTauR: Toward a universal scale and masks for standardizing tau imaging studies

INTRODUCTION: Recently, an increasing number of tau tracers have become available. There is a need to standardize quantitative tau measures across tracers, supporting a universal scale. We developed several cortical tau masks and applied them to generate a tau imaging universal scale. METHOD: One thousand forty‐five participants underwent tau scans with either (18)F‐flortaucipir, (18)F‐MK6240, (18)F‐PI2620, (18)F‐PM‐PBB3, (18)F‐GTP1, or (18)F‐RO948. The universal mask was generated from cognitively unimpaired amyloid beta (Aβ)− subjects and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with Aβ+. Four additional regional cortical masks were defined within the constraints of the universal mask. A universal scale, the CenTauR(z), was constructed. RESULTS: None of the regions known to display off‐target signal were included in the masks. The CenTauR(z) allows robust discrimination between low and high levels of tau deposits. DISCUSSION: We constructed several tau‐specific cortical masks for the AD continuum and a universal standard scale designed to capture the location and degree of abnormality that can be applied across tracers and across centers. The masks are freely available at https://www.gaain.org/centaur‐project.