Case Study: Using Neuroreader® Volumetric MRI to Diagnose Alzheimer’s Dementia

A 78-year-old woman presented with progressive memory loss. To support clinical evaluation, her physician ordered a 3D T1 volumetric MRI sequence, which was analyzed using Neuroreader®, an advanced software for automated brain volumetry. The Neuroreader® Report provided objective, quantitative insights into her brain structure volumes, helping guide a more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s dementia.

Understanding the Neuroreader® Report

The Neuroreader® output includes:

• Brain volume structures – 45+ segmented regions measured in milliliters.
• Intracranial volume correction – Normalized values accounting for gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
• Neuroreader® Index and Z-scores – Standardized metrics showing deviation from a normative database.
• Percentiles – Brain volumes below the 25th percentile are considered abnormally low; ventricular volumes above the 75th percentile are considered abnormally high.
• Color coding – Abnormal regions are highlighted in orange for easy visualization.

Case Findings

• Whole brain volume: Abnormally low, ~54th percentile.
• Gray matter: ~10th percentile, confirming significant atrophy.
• White matter: Low end of normal, ~33rd percentile.
• Hippocampus, amygdala, and thalamus: Abnormally low volumes, strongly suggesting Alzheimer’s disease.
• Temporal and parietal lobes: Diffuse atrophy detected.
• Lateral ventricles: Enlarged (>75th percentile), a common correlate of brain atrophy.

Together, these findings revealed progressive hippocampal and medial temporal lobe atrophy alongside diffuse cortical loss — highly consistent with Alzheimer’s dementia.

Quality Control and Visualization

Neuroreader® provides several features to support accuracy:

• Segmentation overlays: Color-coded anatomical maps ensure correct alignment of brain regions. No distortions were present, confirming high-quality segmentation.
• Heat maps: Visualize regions of abnormally low volume and enlarged ventricles, offering a quick clinical overview.
• Validation: Published literature confirms that Neuroreader® provides accurate segmentation of hippocampal and cortical structures across Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and controls.

Validated Against Gold Standards

Research has demonstrated that Neuroreader® achieves ~88% agreement with manual “gold standard” segmentations by expert anatomists【source†】. The key advantage:

• Automated segmentation: ~5 minutes for 45 structures.
• Manual segmentation: ~40 minutes for fewer regions.

This efficiency, combined with validated accuracy, makes Neuroreader® a practical tool for routine clinical use in diagnosing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

🔗 Read the validation study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

Clinical Significance

• Objective confirmation: Supports differential diagnosis when symptoms overlap with late-life depression or other conditions.
• Comprehensive data: Tracks atrophy across 45+ regions, not just the hippocampus.
• Time efficiency: Enables clinicians to generate reliable volumetric reports in minutes.

By combining AI-enabled MRI volumetry with clinical evaluation, Neuroreader® provides a reliable, validated method to identify Alzheimer’s-related brain atrophy earlier and with greater confidence.