petBrain: a new pipeline for amyloid, Tau tangles and neurodegeneration quantification using PET and MRI

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, tracer variability handling, and 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. It is implemented in a web-based format, requiring no local computational infrastructure and software usage knowledge.

Results: petBrain provides reliable, rapid quantification with results comparable to existing pipelines for A and T₂, showing strong concordance with data processed in ADNI databases. The staging and quantification of A/T₂/N by petBrain demonstrated good agreements with CSF/plasma biomarkers, clinical status and cognitive performance.

Discussion: petBrain represents a powerful open platform for standardized AD biomarker analysis, facilitating clinical research applications.

Keywords: A/T/N model; Centaur; Centiloid; Image processing; MRI segmentation.