Combination of automated brain volumetry on MRI and quantitative tau deposition on THK-5351 PET to support diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

Imaging biomarkers support the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We aimed to determine whether combining automated brain volumetry on MRI and quantitative measurement of tau deposition on [18F] THK-5351 PET can aid discrimination of AD spectrum. From a prospective database in an IRB-approved multicenter study (NCT02656498), 113 subjects (32 healthy control, 55 mild cognitive impairment, and 26 Alzheimer disease) with baseline structural MRI and [18F] THK-5351 PET were included. Cortical volumes were quantified from FDA-approved software for automated volumetric MRI analysis (NeuroQuant). Standardized uptake value ratio (SUVR) was calculated from tau PET images for 6 composite FreeSurfer-derived regions-of-interests approximating in vivo Braak stage (Braak ROIs). On volumetric MRI analysis, stepwise logistic regression analyses identified the cingulate isthmus and inferior parietal lobule as significant regions in discriminating AD from HC and MCI. The combined model incorporating automated volumes of selected brain regions on MRI (cingulate isthmus, inferior parietal lobule, hippocampus) and SUVRs of Braak ROIs on [18F] THK-5351 PET showed higher performance than SUVRs of Braak ROIs on [18F] THK-5351 PET in discriminating AD from HC (0.98 vs 0.88, P = 0.033) but not in discriminating AD from MCI (0.85 vs 0.79, P = 0.178). The combined model showed comparable performance to automated volumes of selected brain regions on MRI in discriminating AD from HC (0.98 vs 0.94, P = 0.094) and MCI (0.85 vs 0.78; P = 0.065).