Evaluation of Parkinson’s disease by neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging and ¹²³I-FP-CIT SPECT

Abstract

Background Both neuromelanin-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (NmMRI) and I-FP-CIT single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) (DaTSCAN) assist the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, there have been few studies investigating a correlation between them. Purpose To correlate the utility of NmMRI and DaTSCAN and to evaluate the relationship between both imaging findings and the Unified PD rating scale part III (UPDRS III) score for the diagnosis and management of PD. Material and Methods Seventeen patients with PD who underwent both NmMRI and DaTSCAN were included. We measured the volume of the neuromelanin-positive substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc volume) on NmMRI and measured the specific binding ratio (SBR) on DaTSCAN. The asymmetry index (AI) of the SNc volume and SBR were also calculated. We evaluated the relationship between the UPDRS III score and the SNc volume and SBR, respectively. Results The SNc volume showed a significant correlation with the SBR. The AIs of them also showed a significant correlation. Both the mean of the bilateral SBR and the mean of the bilateral SNc volume showed significant negative correlations with the UPDRS III score. However, the correlation between the SBR and the UPDRS III score was stronger than that between the SNc volume and the UPDRS III score. Conclusion Both NmMRI and DaTSCAN are helpful for PD diagnosis. However, we conclude that DaTSCAN is more suitable for the evaluation of the clinical motor severity and would be more useful for the management of PD patients than NmMRI.

Neuromelanin‐sensitive magnetic resonance imaging features of the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus in de novo Parkinson's disease and its phenotypes

“…In this study, it was found that neuromelanin was significantly decreased in the SNc in de novo PD patients by measuring NM‐MR images, consistent with the findings of previous neuroimaging studies . Recent studies have found that, in PD patients, decreased volume and the CNR of the SN on NM‐MR images were positively correlated with nigrostriatal dopaminergic function as detected by single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with FP‐CIT , which is a significant functional neuroimaging method for the diagnosis of PD . The volume and signal intensity of the SNc were also significantly different between idiopathic PD, parkinsonian syndrome and essential tremor .…”

Magnetic Susceptibility Associates With Dopaminergic Deficits and Cognition in Parkinson's Disease

“…Dopamine projections can be probed in vivo with positron emission tomography or SPECT using markers of dopaminergic terminal integrity. Imaging of DAT binding with 123 I‐FP‐CIT SPECT is presently an essential method for evaluating parkinsonism and may relate to cognitive impairment in PD . Indeed, cognitive dysfunction, particularly executive dysfunction, is associated with the loss of caudate uptake on DAT‐SPECT imaging .…”

Semi-Automatic Signature-Based Segmentation Method for Quantification of Neuromelanin in Substantia Nigra

“…In our opinion, this is the simplest possible method and could be easily used in the clinical setting. Using manual delineation of the SN, studies reported [50][51][52] that the SN size correlated with DaT-SPECT results in PD. Okuzumi et al [50] found that several clinical tools commonly used to assess the severity of PD correlated better with SN size but not as well with DaT-SPECT results.…”