Tau positron emission tomography harmonization using the CenTauR approach: General conversion equations, relevant cut-points, and external validation.

@article{rial2026positron,
  title = {{Tau positron emission tomography harmonization using the CenTauR approach: General conversion equations, relevant cut-points, and external validation.}},
  author = {Alexis Moscoso Rial and Antoine Leuzy and Lars Lau Raket and Victor L Villemagne and Gregory Klein and Matteo Tonietto and Emily Olafson and Ruben Smith and Christopher G Schwarz and Suzanne Baker and Ziad S Saad and Santiago Bullich and Brian Lopresti and Sandra Sanabria Bohorquez and Guilherme Domingues Kolinger and Olivia Lutz and Mercè Boada and Tobey J Betthauser and Arnaud Charil and Emily C Collins and Jessica A Collins and Roger N Gunn and Makoto Higuchi and Eric Hostetler and R Matthew Hutchison and Leonardo Iaccarino and Philip S Insel and Michael C Irizarry and Clifford R Jack and William J Jagust and Keith A Johnson and Sterling C Johnson and Cécile Tissot and David Vállez García and Gemma Salvadó and Diane Stephenson and Marta Marquié and Sulantha Mathotaarachchi and Mark A Mintun and Rik Ossenkoppele and Qi Huang and Xiaoxie Mao and Johannes Gnörich and Ioannis Pappas and Ronald C Petersen and Konstantinos Chiotis and Gil D Rabinovici and Pedro Rosa-Neto and Andrew W Stephens and Alex Whittington and Maria C Carrillo and Michael J Pontecorvo and Samantha Budd Haeberlein and Billy Dunn and Hartmuth C Kolb and Nadine Tatton and Yashmin Karten and Matthias Brendel and Sid O'Bryant and Fang Xie},
  journal = {Alzheimer's \& dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1002/alz.71886},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42963335},
  note = {CC BY},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Tau positron emission tomography harmonization using the CenTauR approach: General conversion equations, relevant cut-points, and external validation.
AU  - Alexis Moscoso Rial
AU  - Antoine Leuzy
AU  - Lars Lau Raket
AU  - Victor L Villemagne
AU  - Gregory Klein
AU  - Matteo Tonietto
AU  - Emily Olafson
AU  - Ruben Smith
AU  - Christopher G Schwarz
AU  - Suzanne Baker
AU  - Ziad S Saad
AU  - Santiago Bullich
AU  - Brian Lopresti
AU  - Sandra Sanabria Bohorquez
AU  - Guilherme Domingues Kolinger
AU  - Olivia Lutz
AU  - Mercè Boada
AU  - Tobey J Betthauser
AU  - Arnaud Charil
AU  - Emily C Collins
AU  - Jessica A Collins
AU  - Roger N Gunn
AU  - Makoto Higuchi
AU  - Eric Hostetler
AU  - R Matthew Hutchison
AU  - Leonardo Iaccarino
AU  - Philip S Insel
AU  - Michael C Irizarry
AU  - Clifford R Jack
AU  - William J Jagust
AU  - Keith A Johnson
AU  - Sterling C Johnson
AU  - Cécile Tissot
AU  - David Vállez García
AU  - Gemma Salvadó
AU  - Diane Stephenson
AU  - Marta Marquié
AU  - Sulantha Mathotaarachchi
AU  - Mark A Mintun
AU  - Rik Ossenkoppele
AU  - Qi Huang
AU  - Xiaoxie Mao
AU  - Johannes Gnörich
AU  - Ioannis Pappas
AU  - Ronald C Petersen
AU  - Konstantinos Chiotis
AU  - Gil D Rabinovici
AU  - Pedro Rosa-Neto
AU  - Andrew W Stephens
AU  - Alex Whittington
AU  - Maria C Carrillo
AU  - Michael J Pontecorvo
AU  - Samantha Budd Haeberlein
AU  - Billy Dunn
AU  - Hartmuth C Kolb
AU  - Nadine Tatton
AU  - Yashmin Karten
AU  - Matthias Brendel
AU  - Sid O'Bryant
AU  - Fang Xie
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/01
JO  - Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association
DO  - 10.1002/alz.71886
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42963335
AB  - Introduction  Tau positron emission tomography (PET) tracers differ in kinetics, binding properties, and quantification pipelines, complicating cross-study comparisons. The CenTauR approach provides a unified framework for harmonizing tau PET quantification across tracers.Methods  We defined a tracer-agnostic "Standard Method" using Statistical Parametric Mapping 12, standardized regions of interest, and harmonized acquisition parameters. Using data from five tau tracers-[¹⁸F]flortaucipir, [¹⁸F]MK-6240, [¹⁸F]PI-2620, [¹⁸F]RO948, and [¹⁸F]GTP1-we applied the Joint Propagation Model to derive linear equations converting regional standardized uptake value ratios into the tracer-independent CenTauR scale. Validation included independent cross-sectional, longitudinal, and test-retest datasets across multiple cohorts.Results  The CenTauR scale yielded highly consistent regional values across tracers, with strong cross-tracer agreement and robust performance in external validation cohorts. We also expressed clinically relevant cut-points and staging boundaries on the CenTauR scale.Discussion  The CenTauR approach enables harmonized, tracer-independent quantification of tau PET, supporting reproducibility across studies and improving interpretation in clinical research and multicenter trials.
SN  - 1552-5260
SN  - 1552-5279
ER  -