Tau positron emission tomography analysis methods for the quantification of tau spread in preclinical and early Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Inhibition of pathological tau spread may slow cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we evaluate two tau positron emission tomography (PET) analysis methods designed for detecting tau spread. METHODS: Spatial progression of tauopathy (SPOT) and tau-naïve anatomical region of interest (tau-naïve ROI) methods were assessed in two large observational cohorts in amyloid-positive (A+) cognitively unimpaired (CU) or mildly cognitively impaired (MCI) participants versus CU amyloid-negative (A−) participants. RESULTS: SPOT and tau-naïve ROI demonstrated measurable annualized change in CU A+ and MCI A+ participants versus CU A− participants. These spread estimates produced eff..