Combined R2* and Diffusion Tensor Imaging Changes in the Substantia Nigra in Parkinson's Disease

✍ Scribed by Guangwei Du; Mechelle M. Lewis; Martin Styner; Michele L. Shaffer; Suman Sen; Qing X. Yang; Xuemei Huang

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 260 KB
• Volume: 26
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-3185
• DOI: 10.1002/mds.23643

✦ Synopsis

Recent magnetic resonance imaging studies suggest an increased transverse relaxation rate and reduced diffusion tensor imaging fractional anisotropy values in the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. The transverse relaxation rate and fractional anisotropy changes may reflect different aspects of Parkinson's disease-related pathological processes (ie, tissue iron deposition and microstructure disorganization). This study investigated the combined changes of transverse relaxation rate and fractional anisotropy in the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease. High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (T2-weighted, T2*, and diffusion tensor imaging) were obtained from 16 Parkinson's disease patients and 16 controls. Bilateral substantia nigras were delineated manually on T2-weighted images and coregistered to transverse relaxation rate and fractional anisotropy maps. The mean transverse relaxation rate and fractional anisotropy values in each substantia nigra were then calculated and compared between Parkinson's disease subjects and controls. Logistic regression, followed by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, was employed to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of the combined measures for differentiating Parkinson's disease subjects from controls. Compared with controls, Parkinson's