Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson's disease and controls

TY - JOUR

T1 - Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson's disease and controls

AU - Wolters, Amée F

AU - Heijmans, Margot

AU - Priovoulos, Nikos

AU - Jacobs, Heidi I L

AU - Postma, Alida A

AU - Temel, Yasin

AU - Kuijf, Mark L

AU - Michielse, Stijn

N1 - Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2023/7/22

Y1 - 2023/7/22

N2 - INTRODUCTION: Neuromelanin related signal changes in catecholaminergic nuclei are considered as a promising MRI biomarker in Parkinson's disease (PD). Until now, most studies have investigated the substantia nigra (SN), while signal changes might be more prominent in the locus coeruleus (LC). Ultra-high field MRI improves the visualisation of these small brainstem regions and might support the development of imaging biomarkers in PD.OBJECTIVES: To compare signal intensity of the SN and LC on Magnetization Transfer MRI between PD patients and healthy controls (HC) and to explore its association with cognitive performance in PD.METHODS: This study was conducted using data from the TRACK-PD study, a longitudinal 7T MRI study. A total of 78 early-stage PD patients and 36 HC were included. A mask for the SN and LC was automatically segmented and manually corrected. Neuromelanin related signal intensity of the SN and LC was compared between PD and HC.RESULTS: PD participants showed a lower contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the right SN (p = 0.029) and left LC (p = 0.027). After adding age as a confounder, the CNR of the right SN did not significantly differ anymore between PD and HC (p = 0.055). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between the SN CNR and memory function.DISCUSSION: This study confirms that neuromelanin related signal intensity of the LC differs between early-stage PD patients and HC. No significant difference was found in the SN. This supports the theory of bottom-up disease progression in PD. Furthermore, loss of SN integrity might influence working memory or learning capabilities in PD patients.

AB - INTRODUCTION: Neuromelanin related signal changes in catecholaminergic nuclei are considered as a promising MRI biomarker in Parkinson's disease (PD). Until now, most studies have investigated the substantia nigra (SN), while signal changes might be more prominent in the locus coeruleus (LC). Ultra-high field MRI improves the visualisation of these small brainstem regions and might support the development of imaging biomarkers in PD.OBJECTIVES: To compare signal intensity of the SN and LC on Magnetization Transfer MRI between PD patients and healthy controls (HC) and to explore its association with cognitive performance in PD.METHODS: This study was conducted using data from the TRACK-PD study, a longitudinal 7T MRI study. A total of 78 early-stage PD patients and 36 HC were included. A mask for the SN and LC was automatically segmented and manually corrected. Neuromelanin related signal intensity of the SN and LC was compared between PD and HC.RESULTS: PD participants showed a lower contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the right SN (p = 0.029) and left LC (p = 0.027). After adding age as a confounder, the CNR of the right SN did not significantly differ anymore between PD and HC (p = 0.055). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between the SN CNR and memory function.DISCUSSION: This study confirms that neuromelanin related signal intensity of the LC differs between early-stage PD patients and HC. No significant difference was found in the SN. This supports the theory of bottom-up disease progression in PD. Furthermore, loss of SN integrity might influence working memory or learning capabilities in PD patients.

U2 - 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103479

DO - 10.1016/j.nicl.2023.103479

M3 - Article

C2 - 37494758

SN - 2213-1582

VL - 39

SP - 103479

JO - Neuroimage. Clinical

JF - Neuroimage. Clinical

ER -