Application of Deep Learning for Prediction of Alzheimer’s Disease in PET/MR Imaging

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging is a promising technique that combines the advantages of PET and MR to provide both functional and structural information of the brain. Deep learning (DL) is a subfield of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) that focuses on developing algorithms and models inspired by the structure and function of the human brain’s neural networks. DL has been applied to various aspects of PET/MR imaging in AD, such as image segmentation, image reconstruction, diagnosis and prediction, and visualization of pathological features. In this review, we introduce the basic concepts and types of DL algorithms, such as feed forward neural networks, convolutional neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and autoencoders. We then summarize the current applications and challenges of DL in PET/MR imaging in AD, and discuss the future directions and opportunities for automated diagnosis, predictions of models, and personalized medicine. We conclude that DL has great potential to improve the quality and efficiency of PET/MR imaging in AD, and to provide new insights into the pathophysiology and treatment of this devastating disease.