Deformation-based morphometry applied to FDG PET data reveals hippocampal atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract: Cerebral atrophy is a key finding in patients with dementia and usually determined on MRI. We tested whether cerebral atrophy can be imaged with FDG PET by applying deformation-based morphometry (DBM). We retrospectively identified 26 patients with a biomarker-supported clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) who had received FDG PET on a fully-digital PET/CT system and structural MRI and compared them to 13 healthy elderly controls (HEC). We performed DBM with FDG PET data (FDG-DBM). As a reference standard for determining atrophy we used voxel-based morphometry of MRI data (MRI-VBM). For conventional analysis of hypometabolism, scaled FDG PET scans (reference: brain parenchyma) were compared between groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed. ROI read-outs were tested for associations with cognitive test performance. FDG-DBM showed abnormalities in AD mainly in the bilateral hippocampi. Similarly, MRI-VBM showed hippocampal atrophy. By contrast, conventional FDG PET analysis revealed reduced bilateral temporo-parietal FDG uptake (all p < 0.05, FWE-corrected). FDG-DBM measures of the hippocampus significantly separated AD from HEC with an AUC of 0.81; MRI-VBM achieved an AUC of 0.87; the difference between the two ROC curves was not significant (p = 0.40). Whereas FDG uptake of the hippocampus did not separate AD from HEC, FDG uptake of the Landau Meta-ROI achieved an AUC of 0.88. Verbal memory was significantly associated with FDG-DBM measures of the hippocampus (p = 0.009), but not of the Landau Meta-ROI (p > 0.1). The opposite held true for conventional FDG uptake (p > 0.1 and p = 0.001, respectively). Hippocampal atrophy in AD can be detected by applying DBM to clinical, fully-digital FDG PET. It correlates with cognitive performance and might constitute a biomarker of neurodegeneration that is complementary to conventional FDG PET analysis of regional hypometabolism

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Scientific reports. - 14, 1 (2024) , 20030, ISSN: 2045-2322

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2024
• Creator: Frings, Lars ; Blazhenets, Ganna ; Brumberg, Joachim Karl ; Rau, Alexander ; Urbach, Horst ; Meyer, Philipp Tobias

Further information

• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-70380-z
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-2567618
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 25.03.2025, 1:45 PM CET