Catalyst medtech sits at the center of this dementia and brain health question.

On March 25, 2026, Catalyst MedTech announced the continued national deployment of its Full Access Neurology solution, positioning itself as the industry standard for Brain PET imaging implementation across the United States. The solution combines CareMiBrain™, an ultra-high-resolution dedicated brain PET system, with NeuroQ4™ analysis software from Syntermed, alongside integrated clinical and operational support. For patients with suspected Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, or other neurodegenerative conditions, this represents a significant expansion in access to the kind of advanced brain imaging that can identify amyloid and tau pathology—the hallmark changes that define these diseases.

Catalyst MedTech brings 26 years of experience deploying advanced imaging programs nationwide, predominantly through nuclear cardiology partnerships. The Full Access Neurology model extends that proven deployment strategy to brain health, addressing a critical gap: many communities lack access to dedicated brain PET imaging, leaving neurologists and dementia specialists without definitive diagnostic tools. This article explores what the Full Access Neurology solution entails, which conditions it can help diagnose, how it’s being implemented across the country, and what this means for patients seeking clarity about cognitive decline.

What Is the Full Access Neurology Solution and How Does It Differ From Standard PET Imaging?
Which Neurological Conditions Can Brain PET Imaging Help Diagnose?
How Is Catalyst MedTech Expanding Access to Brain PET Scanning Nationwide?
What Does Full Access Neurology Mean for Patients Seeking a Dementia Diagnosis?
What Are the Limitations and Practical Considerations?
How Does the CareMiBrain and NeuroQ4 System Compare to Existing Brain Imaging Options?
What Does This Mean for the Future of Dementia Diagnosis and Care?
Conclusion

What Is the Full Access Neurology Solution and How Does It Differ From Standard PET Imaging?

The Full Access Neurology solution is not simply a piece of equipment—it’s a comprehensive service model that bundles the CareMiBrain pet scanner, the NeuroQ4 automated analysis software, equipment service, clinical integration support, and operational training. This is a meaningful distinction. Many healthcare facilities have purchased PET scanners without the accompanying clinical infrastructure, leaving radiologists and neurologists uncertain how to interpret brain-specific findings or how to integrate imaging into patient workflows. Catalyst MedTech’s model provides that framework from day one. The CareMiBrain system itself is an ultra-high-resolution dedicated brain PET scanner with exclusive U.S.

distribution rights granted to Catalyst MedTech. Unlike whole-body PET scanners that must compromise on spatial resolution to image the entire body, a dedicated brain PET system optimizes every aspect of its design for neurological imaging. This translates to better visualization of subtle amyloid and tau accumulation in different brain regions. The NeuroQ4 software automates the analysis, generating standardized reports with centiloid measurements—a standardized scale for amyloid burden that allows neurologists to track disease progression over time and compare results across institutions. For a memory clinic evaluating whether a patient’s cognitive complaints are due to Alzheimer’s pathology, amyloid and tau imaging can provide that answer when cognitive testing alone remains inconclusive.

What Is the Full Access Neurology Solution and How Does It Differ From Standard PET Imaging?

Which Neurological Conditions Can Brain PET Imaging Help Diagnose?

Catalyst MedTech’s solution is designed to support diagnosis and management of a broad spectrum of neurological and neurodegenerative conditions. Alzheimer’s disease tops the list—amyloid and tau PET imaging can detect pathological changes up to 15 years before symptoms appear, according to current research. Lewy body dementia, characterized by abnormal alpha-synuclein deposits, can be differentiated from Alzheimer’s disease through specific PET tracers. Frontotemporal dementia, a rarer but devastating form of early-onset dementia, also has characteristic imaging patterns.

Beyond the dementias, the system supports imaging for brain tumors, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in individuals with a history of repeated head injury, and epilepsy—conditions where understanding the underlying pathology is essential for treatment planning. However, not every cognitive complaint warrants PET imaging. Many patients with subjective cognitive decline never develop dementia, and subjecting everyone to expensive neuroimaging is neither practical nor cost-effective. Typically, brain PET imaging is reserved for patients already evaluated by a neurologist or neuropsychologist, with cognitive testing that suggests possible dementia, or for patients with atypical presentations where the diagnosis remains unclear after standard workup. The Full Access Neurology model handles this through clinical integration—Catalyst works with healthcare systems to establish referral pathways and clinical protocols, ensuring that imaging is ordered appropriately and results are interpreted within clinical context.

How Is Catalyst MedTech Expanding Access to Brain PET Scanning Nationwide?

Catalyst’s deployment strategy mirrors its success with nuclear cardiology imaging. Rather than requiring individual hospitals to purchase expensive equipment and build expertise from scratch, the Full Access Neurology model allows healthcare systems to partner with Catalyst, accessing the CareMiBrain system and the supporting clinical infrastructure. This reduces institutional barriers to adoption. A regional hospital that previously could not justify the cost and complexity of a dedicated brain PET program can now establish one through a service partnership.

A concrete example of this expansion is the partnership announced on March 23, 2026, between Catalyst MedTech and Algernon Pharmaceuticals. Algernon, which develops treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, named Catalyst an initial “Connect” partner to expand brain PET access. Under this partnership, the first brain-dedicated PET scanning clinic in the United States is opening at HCA Florida—a major regional health system. For patients with cognitive concerns in Florida, this means access to imaging that was previously only available in specialized academic medical centers. Algernon’s interest in the partnership reflects the pharmaceutical industry’s recognition that accurate patient stratification using biomarker imaging is critical for clinical trials and for real-world treatment success.

How Is Catalyst MedTech Expanding Access to Brain PET Scanning Nationwide?

What Does Full Access Neurology Mean for Patients Seeking a Dementia Diagnosis?

For a patient presenting with memory loss, behavioral changes, or executive dysfunction, the pathway to diagnosis has historically been complicated. A primary care physician might refer to a neurologist, who orders cognitive testing. If the neurologist suspects dementia, they might order MRI or CT to rule out stroke or tumor, but these imaging modalities don’t detect the underlying amyloid and tau pathology. The patient and family are left in uncertainty, often told something like “You probably have Alzheimer’s disease, but we can’t prove it without PET imaging—and that’s not available locally.” The expansion of Full Access Neurology programs nationwide shortens this pathway.

A neurologist can now order amyloid and tau PET imaging at an accessible location, often without lengthy referral delays. The results provide definitive biological information: Is amyloid present? Is tau present? How does the pattern compare to other conditions like Lewy body dementia? For some patients, this clarity allows earlier treatment with amyloid-targeting monoclonal antibodies—drugs like aducanumab or lecanemab that can slow cognitive decline in early Alzheimer’s disease. For others, it clarifies that the cognitive symptoms have a different cause—perhaps vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, or even reversible conditions like thyroid dysfunction or normal pressure hydrocephalus. Treatment decisions depend on diagnosis, and diagnosis increasingly depends on biomarker imaging.

What Are the Limitations and Practical Considerations?

Despite the expansion, significant barriers remain. Brain PET imaging is expensive—typically $3,000 to $5,000 per scan, though coverage varies by insurance. Many insurance plans still consider amyloid PET imaging “experimental” outside of research protocols, leaving patients to pay out of pocket. Even with the Full Access Neurology model expanding availability, geographic access is still limited; a patient in a rural area might still face a 2-3 hour drive to reach the nearest dedicated brain PET facility. Additionally, while CareMiBrain and NeuroQ4 represent significant advances in imaging technology, they are tools that inform clinical decision-making—they do not diagnose disease in isolation.

A radiologist and neurologist must still interpret the images within the context of the patient’s history, symptoms, and other test results. Another practical consideration: not every neurologist or primary care physician is trained to use amyloid and tau imaging in their practice. Catalyst’s Full Access Neurology model includes clinical integration and training, but adoption depends on individual practices changing their workflows and protocols. A hospital system that has never offered neuroimaging might struggle initially with appropriate referral criteria, interpretation, and integration of imaging results into treatment planning. Catalyst’s 26 years of experience in similar deployments should mitigate these challenges, but early adoption will likely show variable success depending on institutional readiness and buy-in from neurology and neurosurgery departments.

What Are the Limitations and Practical Considerations?

How Does the CareMiBrain and NeuroQ4 System Compare to Existing Brain Imaging Options?

Brain imaging has three tiers: structural imaging (MRI, CT), functional imaging (functional MRI, PET), and molecular imaging (amyloid/tau PET). MRI and CT can identify structural changes—brain atrophy, white matter changes, stroke, tumor—but cannot directly visualize the amyloid and tau pathology that defines Alzheimer’s disease. Functional MRI can show areas of abnormal brain activity, but it requires patient cooperation and specialized expertise to interpret. Amyloid and tau PET directly visualizes the underlying neuropathology, making it the gold standard for biological confirmation of Alzheimer’s disease and other tauopathies.

What distinguishes CareMiBrain from general-purpose PET scanners is its dedicated brain design. A whole-body PET scanner spreads its detector hardware around the entire body; a dedicated brain scanner concentrates detectors around the head, achieving higher spatial resolution and sensitivity. This means CareMiBrain can detect subtle patterns of amyloid and tau distribution that might be missed on a whole-body scanner. The NeuroQ4 software automates analysis, generating centiloid scores and standardized reports—reducing interpretation variability and allowing longitudinal tracking of pathology over time. For a patient returning for a follow-up scan after starting amyloid-targeting therapy, the centiloid score provides a quantitative measure of whether treatment is slowing amyloid accumulation.

What Does This Mean for the Future of Dementia Diagnosis and Care?

The continued national deployment of Full Access Neurology represents a shift toward biomarker-driven diagnosis in dementia care. Ten years ago, Alzheimer’s disease was diagnosed largely on clinical grounds, with definitive diagnosis only possible at autopsy. Today, amyloid and tau imaging, along with blood biomarkers like phosphorylated tau and phosphorylated tau-181, provide biological confirmation during life. As amyloid-targeting therapies and tau-targeting therapies advance and become standard of care, the ability to accurately stratify patients based on biomarker status becomes increasingly important.

Catalyst’s announcement reflects confidence in the market for brain imaging services. The 26-year track record in nuclear cardiology deployment suggests that the Full Access Neurology model is based on a proven business and clinical model. If the expansion proceeds as planned, patients in more communities will have access to definitive biological diagnosis, enabling earlier treatment with disease-modifying therapies and more accurate prognostication. However, this benefit depends not only on scanner availability but also on insurance coverage, clinical training, and equitable access across socioeconomic groups.

Conclusion

Catalyst MedTech’s Full Access Neurology solution—combining the ultra-high-resolution CareMiBrain PET scanner, NeuroQ4 analysis software, and comprehensive clinical support—represents a systematic approach to expanding brain PET imaging access nationwide. For patients with cognitive complaints who warrant neuroimaging, this expansion offers the possibility of definitive biological diagnosis, moving dementia care from clinical suspicion toward precision medicine rooted in amyloid and tau pathology. The company’s 26-year history in deploying advanced imaging programs suggests that the infrastructure challenges of bringing brain PET into diverse healthcare settings are manageable.

The full impact will depend on implementation success across health systems, insurance coverage, and neurologist adoption of amyloid and tau imaging in clinical practice. As disease-modifying therapies targeting amyloid and tau pathology become standard treatment, the ability to identify patients with underlying Alzheimer’s pathology early in cognitive decline will only become more critical. Catalyst’s expansion effort positions itself as a key infrastructure partner in that transition.