Methods for using pet measured metabolism to determine cognitive impairment
First Claim
1. A method for producing an index indicative of brain disease comprising the steps of:
- collecting positron emission tomographic image data showing metabolic activity in the brain of a patient;
spatially normalizing said image data using a standardized three dimensional coordinate system;
spatially filtering the normalized image data;
selecting specific regions of the brain showing extremes in metabolic activity;
collecting mean intensity values for the normalized, smoothed image data from said selected specific brain regions;
weighting said mean intensity values with standard weights derived from the group analysis used to create the standard; and
normalizing the ratio of said mean, weighted, metabolic activity image data to produce a numerical index.
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Abstract
A non-invasive, early stage method to obtain quantitative measures of mild cognitive impairment useful in diagnosing and following degenerative brain disease or closed head injuries by utilizing the image data from individual patient positron emission tomographic scans to construct a cognitive decline index that serves as a diagnostic and screening tool to reveal the onset of mild cognitive impairment and nervous system dysfunction which are sequelae of degenerative brain diseases and closed head injury. The method involves using weighted values of brain region intensities derived from comparing scans of normal subjects to a scan of the patient to calculate a cognitive decline index that is useful as a diagnostic tool for mild cognitive impairment. The weights for the intensity values for each region are derived from the differences of intensity values from regions of the brain of the patient selected by comparing the patient to normal control subjects.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method for producing an index indicative of brain disease comprising the steps of:
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collecting positron emission tomographic image data showing metabolic activity in the brain of a patient;
spatially normalizing said image data using a standardized three dimensional coordinate system;
spatially filtering the normalized image data;
selecting specific regions of the brain showing extremes in metabolic activity;
collecting mean intensity values for the normalized, smoothed image data from said selected specific brain regions;
weighting said mean intensity values with standard weights derived from the group analysis used to create the standard; and
normalizing the ratio of said mean, weighted, metabolic activity image data to produce a numerical index. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18)
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16. A method for diagnosing degenerative brain disease comprising the steps of:
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collecting positron emission tomographic image data showing metabolic activity of a brain of a patient;
spatially normalizing said image data using a three dimensional coordinate system;
smoothing said normalized image data;
applying objective statistical analysis to select specific regions of the brain, said regions showing extreme changes in metabolic activity;
collecting mean intensity values for said normalized, smoothed image data from said selected specific regions;
weighting said mean intensity values based on a comparison of said mean intensity values taken from said patient to a set of mean intensity values of said specific brain region taken from a normal patient population; and
calculating an index using said weighted, mean intensity values wherein said index is a normalized ratio of said weighted, mean intensity values, taken from said sampled regions.
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Specification