Advanced CEST MRI processing pipeline in pilot study of Cognitively Impaired patients vs Normal Controls

Motivation: Alzheimer's disease(AD) presents a major public health and economic challenge, necessitating reliable early detection of biomarkers such as tau and beta-amyloid protein accumulation. Goal(s): Our primary aim was to establish a standardized neuro CEST MRI pipeline, integrating established neuroimaging tools with CEST processing, and applying it to differentiating cognitively impaired(CI) from normal control(NC). Approach: A pilot study included nine CI and three NC individuals imaged with a mDixon CEST MRI and processed with a proposed pipeline. Results: The pipeline effectively reduced erroneous signals in CEST maps and identified significant regional differences between CI and NC(p<0.05). Impact: The successful implementation of CEST-MRI in AD patients could lead to more timely interventions, guide therapeutic strategies, improve patient outcomes, and decrease the overall cost.