INTRODUCTION The study of Alzheimer's disease investigates topographic patterns of degeneration in the context of connected networks comprised of functionally distinct domains using increasingly sophisticated molecular techniques. Therefore, obtaining high precision and accuracy of neuropathologic tissue sampling will enhance the reliability of molecular studies and contribute to the understanding of Alzheimer's disease pathology. Neuroimaging tools can help assess these aspects of current sampling protocols as well as contribute directly to their improvement. METHODS Using a virtual sampling method on magnetic resonance images (MRIs) from 35 participants (21 women), we compared the precision and accuracy of traditional neuropathologic vs. neuroimaging-guided sampling. The impact of the resulting differences was assessed by evaluating the functional connectivity pattern of regions selected by each approach. RESULTS Virtual sampling using the traditional neuropathologic approach had low neuroanatomical precision and accuracy for all cortical regions tested. Neuroimaging-guided strategies narrowed these gaps. Discrepancies in the location of traditional and neuroimaging-guided samples corresponded to differences in fMRI measures of functional connectivity. DISCUSSION Integrating neuroimaging tools with the neuropathologic assessment will improve neuropathologic-neuroimaging correlations by helping to ensure specific functional domains are accurately sampled for quantitative molecular neuropathologic applications. Our neuroimaging-based simulation of current sampling practices provides a benchmark of precision and accuracy against which to measure improvements when using novel tissue sampling approaches. Our results suggest that relying on gross landmarks alone to select samples at autopsy leads to significant variability, even when sampled by the same neuropathologist. Further, this exercise highlights how sampling precision could be enhanced if neuroimaging were integrated with the standard neuropathologic assessment. More accurate targeting and improved biological homogeneity of sampled brain tissue will facilitate the interpretation of neuropathological analyses in AD and the downstream research applications of brain tissue from biorepositories.

中文翻译：

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利用神经影像学工具评估阿尔茨海默病神经病理学取样方案的精度和准确性。

简介 阿尔茨海默氏病的研究使用越来越复杂的分子技术，在由功能不同的域组成的连接网络的背景下调查退化的地形模式。因此，获得神经病理组织取样的高精度和准确性将提高分子研究的可靠性，并有助于对阿尔茨海默病病理学的理解。神经影像学工具可以帮助评估当前采样协议的这些方面，并直接有助于它们的改进。方法 我们对来自 35 名参与者（21 名女性）的磁共振图像 (MRI) 使用虚拟采样方法，比较了传统神经病理学与神经影像学引导采样的精度和准确性。通过评估每种方法选择的区域的功能连接模式来评估由此产生的差异的影响。结果 使用传统神经病理学方法的虚拟采样对所有测试的皮层区域的神经解剖学精度和准确性较低。神经影像学引导策略缩小了这些差距。传统和神经影像学引导样本位置的差异对应于功能连接的 fMRI 测量的差异。讨论将神经影像学工具与神经病理学评估相结合，将有助于确保特定功能域的准确采样以用于定量分子神经病理学应用，从而改善神经病理学-神经影像学的相关性。我们基于神经成像的当前采样实践模拟提供了精度和准确性的基准，用于衡量使用新型组织采样方法时的改进。我们的结果表明，仅依靠大体标志来选择尸检样本会导致显着的变异性，即使是由同一位神经病理学家采样也是如此。此外，该练习强调了如果将神经影像学与标准神经病理学评估相结合，如何提高采样精度。更准确的靶向和改进的取样脑组织的生物同质性将有助于解释 AD 中的神经病理学分析和生物库中脑组织的下游研究应用。我们的结果表明，仅依靠大体标志来选择尸检样本会导致显着的变异性，即使是由同一位神经病理学家采样也是如此。此外，该练习强调了如果将神经影像学与标准神经病理学评估相结合，如何提高采样精度。更准确的靶向和改进的取样脑组织的生物同质性将有助于解释 AD 中的神经病理学分析和生物库中脑组织的下游研究应用。我们的结果表明，仅依靠大体标志来选择尸检样本会导致显着的变异性，即使是由同一位神经病理学家采样也是如此。此外，该练习强调了如果将神经影像学与标准神经病理学评估相结合，如何提高采样精度。更准确的靶向和改进的取样脑组织的生物同质性将有助于解释 AD 中的神经病理学分析和生物库中脑组织的下游研究应用。该练习强调了如果将神经影像学与标准神经病理学评估相结合，如何提高采样精度。更准确的靶向和改进的取样脑组织的生物同质性将有助于解释 AD 中的神经病理学分析和生物库中脑组织的下游研究应用。该练习强调了如果将神经影像学与标准神经病理学评估相结合，如何提高采样精度。更准确的靶向和改进的取样脑组织的生物同质性将有助于解释 AD 中的神经病理学分析和生物库中脑组织的下游研究应用。