{"id":9047,"date":"2025-06-26T14:21:45","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T21:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/?p=9047"},"modified":"2025-07-23T10:52:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T17:52:21","slug":"usc-researchers-define-brain-scan-marker-to-better-classify-alzheimers-disease-related-changes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keck.usc.edu\/news\/usc-researchers-define-brain-scan-marker-to-better-classify-alzheimers-disease-related-changes\/","title":{"rendered":"USC researchers define brain scan marker to better classify Alzheimer\u2019s disease-related changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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USC researchers define brain scan marker to better classify Alzheimer\u2019s disease-related changes<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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The findings, published in Imaging Neuroscience, provide an important step toward refining research standards in brain imaging across various populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n

\n Sidney Taiko Sheehan<\/span>\n \n June 26, 2025<\/span>\n <\/div>\n \n \n
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This image shows average tau buildup in the brain using PI-2620. The tracer uptake in different regions is measured by a quantitative method called Standardized Uptake Value Ratio (SUVR), helping compare tau levels. Warm colors (yellow, orange, red) indicate higher SUVR and more tau, while cooler colors (green, blue) show lower SUVR and less tau. Image\/USC Stevens INI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n \n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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A team of researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC\u2019s Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI<\/a>) has identified a new brain imaging benchmark that may improve how researchers classify biologically meaningful changes associated with Alzheimer\u2019s disease, especially in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white populations. The new study, published in Imaging Neuroscience<\/a>, is part of the Health and Aging Brain Study\u2013Health Disparities (HABS-HD<\/a>), a multi-university collaboration led by the University of North Texas Health Science Center and supported by the National Institute on Aging.<\/p>\n

Using an advanced brain imaging scan called tau PET, the research team studied over 675 older adults from HABS-HD, aiming to identify the optimal brain signal that distinguishes individuals with clinically-relevant biological markers of AD from those who are aging normally.<\/p>\n

Tau PET enables researchers to visualize abnormal proteins in the brain which contribute to Alzheimer\u2019s disease, known as tau, by using a small amount of a special radioactive tracer that highlights areas where tau has accumulated. With these scans, researchers can establish tau cut-points, a new type of biomarker used to determine whether a scan shows an amount of tau protein in the brain high enough to suggest possible early signs of Alzheimer\u2019s disease or related conditions. This new benchmark could eventually inform the way clinicians interpret tau PET scans and better identify who may be at risk for AD.<\/p>\n

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