About this Research Topic
Neuroimaging technologies are considered essential for the clinical evaluation of brain diseases of aging, for understanding biological mechanisms underlying normal and pathological brain aging, and for developing novel treatments for brain diseases of aging. However, while there exist mature venues for presenting novel neuroimaging data acquisition, processing, and interpretation methods, and there exist mature venues for presenting scientific findings in older adult brains based on already-mature neuroimaging methods, there is a relative lack of venues focused on establishing the validity and biological plausibility of novel neuroimaging techniques applied to the aging brain. As a result, many new and promising neuroimaging methods applicable to the older adult population “die on the vine” as they fail to progress from an experimental method development phase to more widespread use.
The goal of this Research Topic is to present data on the validity and biological plausibility of novel neuroimaging acquisition, processing, and interpretation methods applied to the aging brain. The presented material should clarify to end users the set of circumstances under which novel neuroimaging technologies work well when applied to older adults, including what age ranges, brain characteristics, clinical conditions, and other characteristics should be considered amenable to the neuroimaging technique. In addition, this material should clarify the ways in which the novel neuroimaging data associate in expected ways with aging-related factors such as biomarkers of brain disease as well as demographic or physiological factors. Besides evaluation of entirely new neuroimaging techniques, this Research Topic is also expected to cover adaptations or modifications of pre-existing neuroimaging techniques to make them more readily applicable to the aging brain.
Submissions could include one or more of the following themes:
• Validation of automated aging brain imaging techniques against ground truth in the form of human expert annotations, phantom scans, post-mortem analysis, or other data
• Validation of automated aging brain imaging techniques by comparison to other, established and strongly validated automated techniques
• Biological plausibility of novel aging brain neuroimaging techniques via associations with clinical, biological, demographic, and other factors relevant to brain aging
• Comparisons of multiple aging brain imaging techniques in terms of relative strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of performance
Submissions could include the following article types:
• Original research that includes substantial new data in the areas listed above
• Reviews or mini reviews that discusses recent trends in the development of novel aging brain imaging methodology
• Perspectives that discuss specific issues or challenges in the development of aging brain imaging methods, as well as specific opportunities for advancing the field forward.
The goal of this Research Topic is to present data on the validity and biological plausibility of novel neuroimaging acquisition, processing, and interpretation methods applied to the aging brain. The presented material should clarify to end users the set of circumstances under which novel neuroimaging technologies work well when applied to older adults, including what age ranges, brain characteristics, clinical conditions, and other characteristics should be considered amenable to the neuroimaging technique. In addition, this material should clarify the ways in which the novel neuroimaging data associate in expected ways with aging-related factors such as biomarkers of brain disease as well as demographic or physiological factors. Besides evaluation of entirely new neuroimaging techniques, this Research Topic is also expected to cover adaptations or modifications of pre-existing neuroimaging techniques to make them more readily applicable to the aging brain.
Submissions could include one or more of the following themes:
• Validation of automated aging brain imaging techniques against ground truth in the form of human expert annotations, phantom scans, post-mortem analysis, or other data
• Validation of automated aging brain imaging techniques by comparison to other, established and strongly validated automated techniques
• Biological plausibility of novel aging brain neuroimaging techniques via associations with clinical, biological, demographic, and other factors relevant to brain aging
• Comparisons of multiple aging brain imaging techniques in terms of relative strengths and weaknesses in different aspects of performance
Submissions could include the following article types:
• Original research that includes substantial new data in the areas listed above
• Reviews or mini reviews that discusses recent trends in the development of novel aging brain imaging methodology
• Perspectives that discuss specific issues or challenges in the development of aging brain imaging methods, as well as specific opportunities for advancing the field forward.
Keywords: Neuroimaging, MRI, PET, image acquisition, image analysis, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia, stroke
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
