Is NeuroQuant (brain volume measurement software) clinically useful?

From the Guidelines

NeuroQuant is a clinically useful tool in evaluating neurological conditions, particularly in detecting hippocampal atrophy and other volumetric changes in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease, as supported by the most recent study in 2025 1.

Key Points

• NeuroQuant provides automated quantitative measurements of brain structures from MRI scans, which can help standardize brain volume measurements and potentially allow earlier detection of abnormalities.
• The technology has been shown to be useful in monitoring multiple sclerosis progression, traumatic brain injury assessment, and epilepsy evaluation, as mentioned in the study published in 2020 1.
• However, some limitations exist regarding its sensitivity and specificity in certain clinical scenarios, and there's ongoing debate about whether the quantitative information it provides significantly improves clinical outcomes beyond conventional MRI interpretation.
• Clinicians should consider NeuroQuant as a supplementary tool rather than a standalone diagnostic method, integrating its findings with clinical assessment and other diagnostic information, as recommended in the study published in 2020 1.

Clinical Utility

• NeuroQuant can detect hippocampal atrophy and other volumetric changes that may not be apparent in qualitative readings, making it a valuable tool in evaluating neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease.
• The technology can help monitor disease progression over time, allowing for more objective and accurate assessments of treatment efficacy.
• However, the clinical utility of NeuroQuant is still being researched, and further studies are needed to fully understand its potential benefits and limitations, as noted in the study published in 2020 1.

Recommendations

• Clinicians should use NeuroQuant as a supplementary tool in evaluating neurological conditions, rather than relying solely on the technology for diagnosis or treatment decisions.
• The findings from NeuroQuant should be integrated with clinical assessment and other diagnostic information to provide a comprehensive understanding of the patient's condition.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the clinical utility of NeuroQuant and its potential benefits and limitations in various neurological conditions, as recommended in the study published in 2020 1.

From the Research

Studies on NeuroQuant

• There are several studies that have investigated the clinical usefulness of NeuroQuant, a fully-automated program for MRI-derived volumetry 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
• A study published in 2017 found that NeuroQuant holds clinical value, especially age- and sex-based z-scores, for predicting memory impairment in healthy older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment 2.
• Another study published in 2012 found that MRI scans with NeuroQuant analyses cannot be used alone to distinguish between persons with dementia of Alzheimer's type and persons without dementia 3.
• A review published in 2022 found that over 40 years of research have shown that traumatic brain injury affects brain volume, and that NeuroQuant and NeuroGage meet the Daubert standard for admissibility in court due to their reliability, validity, and objectivity 4.
• A study published in 2015 compared automated brain volume measures obtained with NeuroQuant and FreeSurfer, and found excellent to good intermethod reliability for most brain regions evaluated 5.
• A study published in 2018 compared automated volumetry of the hippocampus using NeuroQuant and visual assessment of the medial temporal lobe in Alzheimer's disease, and found high correlations between the two methods 6.

Clinical Usefulness of NeuroQuant

• The studies suggest that NeuroQuant can be a useful tool for detecting brain volume abnormalities in patients with traumatic brain injury 4 and for predicting memory impairment in healthy older adults and patients with mild cognitive impairment 2.
• However, the studies also suggest that NeuroQuant should not be used alone for diagnosing dementia of Alzheimer's type 3, and that it should be used in conjunction with other diagnostic methods.
• The accuracy of NeuroQuant has been found to be comparable to other methods, such as visual assessment of the medial temporal lobe 6.

Comparison with Other Methods

• NeuroQuant has been compared to other methods, such as FreeSurfer 5 and visual assessment of the medial temporal lobe 6.
• The studies suggest that NeuroQuant has excellent to good intermethod reliability with other methods for most brain regions evaluated 5.
• However, the studies also suggest that there may be some differences in the results obtained with different methods, and that the choice of method may depend on the specific clinical question being addressed 5, 6.