petBrain: A New Pipeline for Amyloid, Tau Tangles and Neurodegeneration Quantification Using PET and MRI

TL;DR

petBrain is an innovative, web-based pipeline that rapidly and reliably quantifies Alzheimer's disease biomarkers from PET and MRI scans, improving standardization and accessibility for clinical research.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive, deep learning-based, end-to-end platform for multimodal biomarker quantification that requires no local infrastructure.

Findings

Provides reliable biomarker quantification comparable to existing methods.

Shows strong concordance with CSF/plasma biomarkers and clinical data.

Facilitates standardized AD biomarker analysis in clinical research.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Quantification of amyloid plaques (A), neurofibrillary tangles (T2), and neurodegeneration (N) using PET and MRI is critical for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis and prognosis. Existing pipelines face limitations regarding processing time, variability in tracer types, and challenges in multimodal integration. METHODS: We developed petBrain, a novel end-to-end processing pipeline for amyloid-PET, tau-PET, and structural MRI. It leverages deep learning-based segmentation, standardized biomarker quantification (Centiloid, CenTauR, HAVAs), and simultaneous estimation of A, T2, and N biomarkers. The pipeline is implemented as a web-based platform, requiring no local computational infrastructure or specialized software knowledge. RESULTS: petBrain provides reliable and rapid biomarker quantification, with results comparable to existing pipelines for A and T2. It shows strong concordance with data processed in ADNI databases. The staging and quantification of A/T2/N by petBrain demonstrated good agreement with CSF/plasma biomarkers, clinical status, and cognitive performance. DISCUSSION: petBrain represents a powerful and openly accessible platform for standardized AD biomarker analysis, facilitating applications in clinical research.