Visualization of dopaminergic midbrain structures in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

MRI morphometry of the substantia nigra (SN) and the rednucleus was performed in patients with Parkinsons disease (PD)(1 and 3 stage by Hoehn and Yahr) and healthy individuals usingmodes T2 and T2*-WI on magnetic resonance system InitialAchieva 3.0T. Nonsignificant volume decrease of SN wasrevealed in patients with early manifestations of PD, and viceversa, its increase in symptomatic PD, which can be regarded asan analogue of the well-known phenomenon of ultrasonographyin PD. Significantly greater than in the control SN volumeasymmetry was marked in PD patients, and asymmetryincreased in the progression of the disease. The findings suggestthe possibility of using MRI morphometry of the brainstemstructures to assess the course of the neurodegenerative processin PD.

Keywords

• parkinson's disease
• magnetic resonance imaging
• morphometry
• substantia nigra
• asymmetry