Real-world brain imaging in a population-based cohort enables accurate markers for dementia.

INTRODUCTION

Although a vast amount of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data are collected for health care delivery, generating real-world evidence (RWE) in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) research is substantially limited by lack of methods and results showing how routine MRI scans can be used for ADRD imaging studies.

METHODS

We compared three established ADRD biomarkers (total gray matter, hippocampal, and ventricular volumes) in four groups (normal, subjective complaints, mild cognitive impairment [MCI], and dementia) between the general population of women born in 1932-1941 in the Kuopio region of Eastern Finland (population-based Kuopio Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention Study [OSTPRE] cohort, N = 14220) and a well-characterized research cohort (Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative [ADNI]).

RESULTS

A total of 2434 brain MRI scans for 1885 women were collected between 2003 and 2022 by the public health care provider covering all residents in the region. The established biomarkers were overall aligned between these cohorts.

DISCUSSION: Typical biomarkers extracted from real-world brain MRI scans collected over 20 years are suitable for generating RWE in ADRD research.

HIGHLIGHTS: Real-world brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is applicable for generating evidence in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) research. This is the first study comparing a real-world MRI cohort with an established research cohort reference. Provides a methodological framework for real-world evidence (RWE) ADRD studies that utilize routinely collected MRI scans.