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

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Alzheimer's Disease Research
• Biomarker Development

Background:

• The proliferation of tau positron emission tomography (PET) tracers necessitates standardized quantitative measures.
• A universal scale is crucial for consistent tau imaging analysis across studies and centers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop standardized tau-specific cortical masks.
• To create a universal scale for quantitative tau imaging.
• To enable cross-tracer and cross-center comparability in tau PET studies.

Main Methods:

• Developed several cortical tau masks from cognitively unimpaired and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients.
• Generated a universal mask excluding regions with known off-target signals.
• Constructed the CenTauRz universal scale using these masks.
• Applied masks and scale to 1045 participants scanned with six different tau tracers.

Main Results:

• The developed masks effectively isolate tau signal, excluding off-target regions.
• The CenTauRz scale demonstrates robust ability to differentiate low and high tau deposit levels.
• The universal scale provides a standardized method for quantifying tau pathology.

Conclusions:

• Tau-specific cortical masks and a universal scale (CenTauRz) have been developed for the AD continuum.
• This standardized approach facilitates consistent tau imaging analysis across various tracers and research sites.
• The developed masks are publicly available to promote wider adoption and research collaboration.