Automated template-based PET region of interest analyses in the aging brain.

The definition of regions of interest for PET data analysis poses a number of complex problems. While studies have shown that regions drawn on a template can be appropriate for extracting data for normal healthy subjects, it is unclear how these results can be applied to different populations. In this study, we focused on the aging population and examined how different parameters in the template data-extraction process may affect the accuracy of the results.

Brain imaging evidence of preclinical Alzheimer's disease in normal aging.

Objective: This study was designed to test the hypothesis that baseline glucose metabolism and medial temporal lobe brain volumes are predictive of cognitive decline in normal older people.

Methods: We performed positron emission tomography using [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose and structural magnetic resonance imaging at baseline in 60 cognitively normal community-dwelling older subjects who were part of a longitudinal cohort study. Subjects were followed for a mean of 3.