A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.

High-resolution anatomical image data in preclinical brain PET and SPECT studies is often not available, and inter-modality spatial normalization to an MRI brain template is frequently performed. However, this procedure can be challenging for tracers where substantial anatomical structures present l...

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Main Authors: David Vállez Garcia, Cindy Casteels, Adam J Schwarz, Rudi A J O Dierckx, Michel Koole, Janine Doorduin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4379068?pdf=render
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author David Vállez Garcia
Cindy Casteels
Adam J Schwarz
Rudi A J O Dierckx
Michel Koole
Janine Doorduin
author_facet David Vállez Garcia
Cindy Casteels
Adam J Schwarz
Rudi A J O Dierckx
Michel Koole
Janine Doorduin
author_sort David Vállez Garcia
collection DOAJ
description High-resolution anatomical image data in preclinical brain PET and SPECT studies is often not available, and inter-modality spatial normalization to an MRI brain template is frequently performed. However, this procedure can be challenging for tracers where substantial anatomical structures present limited tracer uptake. Therefore, we constructed and validated strain- and tracer-specific rat brain templates in Paxinos space to allow intra-modal registration. PET [18F]FDG, [11C]flumazenil, [11C]MeDAS, [11C]PK11195 and [11C]raclopride, and SPECT [99mTc]HMPAO brain scans were acquired from healthy male rats. Tracer-specific templates were constructed by averaging the scans, and by spatial normalization to a widely used MRI-based template. The added value of tracer-specific templates was evaluated by quantification of the residual error between original and realigned voxels after random misalignments of the data set. Additionally, the impact of strain differences, disease uptake patterns (focal and diffuse lesion), and the effect of image and template size on the registration errors were explored. Mean registration errors were 0.70 ± 0.32 mm for [18F]FDG (n = 25), 0.23 ± 0.10mm for [11C]flumazenil (n = 13), 0.88 ± 0.20 mm for [11C]MeDAS (n = 15), 0.64 ± 0.28 mm for [11C]PK11195 (n = 19), 0.34 ± 0.15 mm for [11C]raclopride (n = 6), and 0.40 ± 0.13 mm for [99mTc]HMPAO (n = 15). These values were smallest with tracer-specific templates, when compared to the use of [18F]FDG as reference template (p<0.001). Additionally, registration errors were smallest with strain-specific templates (p<0.05), and when images and templates had the same size (p ≤ 0.001). Moreover, highest registration errors were found for the focal lesion group (p<0.005) and the diffuse lesion group (p = n.s.). In the voxel-based analysis, the reported coordinates of the focal lesion model are consistent with the stereotaxic injection procedure. The use of PET/SPECT strain- and tracer-specific templates allows accurate registration of functional rat brain data, independent of disease specific uptake patterns and with registration error below spatial resolution of the cameras. The templates and the SAMIT package will be freely available for the research community [corrected].
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spelling doaj.art-5548e0bcbfb849a9a5d65fc67bc3a0282022-12-22T02:25:05ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01103e012236310.1371/journal.pone.0122363A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.David Vállez GarciaCindy CasteelsAdam J SchwarzRudi A J O DierckxMichel KooleJanine DoorduinHigh-resolution anatomical image data in preclinical brain PET and SPECT studies is often not available, and inter-modality spatial normalization to an MRI brain template is frequently performed. However, this procedure can be challenging for tracers where substantial anatomical structures present limited tracer uptake. Therefore, we constructed and validated strain- and tracer-specific rat brain templates in Paxinos space to allow intra-modal registration. PET [18F]FDG, [11C]flumazenil, [11C]MeDAS, [11C]PK11195 and [11C]raclopride, and SPECT [99mTc]HMPAO brain scans were acquired from healthy male rats. Tracer-specific templates were constructed by averaging the scans, and by spatial normalization to a widely used MRI-based template. The added value of tracer-specific templates was evaluated by quantification of the residual error between original and realigned voxels after random misalignments of the data set. Additionally, the impact of strain differences, disease uptake patterns (focal and diffuse lesion), and the effect of image and template size on the registration errors were explored. Mean registration errors were 0.70 ± 0.32 mm for [18F]FDG (n = 25), 0.23 ± 0.10mm for [11C]flumazenil (n = 13), 0.88 ± 0.20 mm for [11C]MeDAS (n = 15), 0.64 ± 0.28 mm for [11C]PK11195 (n = 19), 0.34 ± 0.15 mm for [11C]raclopride (n = 6), and 0.40 ± 0.13 mm for [99mTc]HMPAO (n = 15). These values were smallest with tracer-specific templates, when compared to the use of [18F]FDG as reference template (p<0.001). Additionally, registration errors were smallest with strain-specific templates (p<0.05), and when images and templates had the same size (p ≤ 0.001). Moreover, highest registration errors were found for the focal lesion group (p<0.005) and the diffuse lesion group (p = n.s.). In the voxel-based analysis, the reported coordinates of the focal lesion model are consistent with the stereotaxic injection procedure. The use of PET/SPECT strain- and tracer-specific templates allows accurate registration of functional rat brain data, independent of disease specific uptake patterns and with registration error below spatial resolution of the cameras. The templates and the SAMIT package will be freely available for the research community [corrected].http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4379068?pdf=render
spellingShingle David Vállez Garcia
Cindy Casteels
Adam J Schwarz
Rudi A J O Dierckx
Michel Koole
Janine Doorduin
A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.
PLoS ONE
title A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.
title_full A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.
title_fullStr A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.
title_full_unstemmed A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.
title_short A standardized method for the construction of tracer specific PET and SPECT rat brain templates: validation and implementation of a toolbox.
title_sort standardized method for the construction of tracer specific pet and spect rat brain templates validation and implementation of a toolbox
url http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4379068?pdf=render
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