Comparative analysis of Heuron Brain PET and FreeSurfer software in automated amyloid quantification: Toward reproducible and clinically applicable brain PET imaging

Mar. 2026

Objective

This study aimed to compare the quantification and diagnostic performance of Heuron Brain PET, a recently developed clinical tool, with FreeSurfer, a well-validated research platform, in assessing Aβ deposition.


Methods: This study analyzed amyloid PET scans from 120 participants (including cognitively impaired and healthy individuals) to compare standardized uptake value ratios (SUVR) and diagnostic classification (amyloid-positive vs. negative) generated by both Heuron Brain PET and FreeSurfer, while also assessing the time efficiency of each software.


Results: The results showed an excellent correlation (r = 0.98) and high agreement (ICC = 0.96) in SUVR quantification between Heuron Brain PET and FreeSurfer, with Heuron demonstrating significantly faster processing times—completing analysis in approximately 10 to 15 minutes compared to the several hours required by FreeSurfer—while maintaining high diagnostic consistency.


Discussion: These findings highlight the clinical utility of Heuron Brain PET as a time-efficient and reliable alternative to traditional research software, providing strong evidence for its clinical and product validity in facilitating reproducible amyloid quantification for Alzheimer’s disease management.

  • Link

    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811926001618?via%3Dihub
  • Author

    Vidishaa Jali, Lucia Li, Toh An Qi, Tomotaka Tanaka, Saima Hilal, Bibek Gyanwali, Christopher Li-Hsian Chen, Pei Ing Ngam
  • Keywords

    Alzheimer's disease, Amyloid PET, SUVR quantification, Heuron Brain PET, FreeSurfer, Diagnostic reproducibility, Clinical applicability, Beta-amyloid, Automated analysis, Time efficiency