Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls
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-...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-01-01
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| Series: | NeuroImage: Clinical |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158223001705 |
| _version_ | 1797772408653873152 |
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| author | Amée F. Wolters Margot Heijmans Nikos Priovoulos Heidi I.L. Jacobs Alida A. Postma Yasin Temel Mark L. Kuijf Stijn Michielse |
| author_facet | Amée F. Wolters Margot Heijmans Nikos Priovoulos Heidi I.L. Jacobs Alida A. Postma Yasin Temel Mark L. Kuijf Stijn Michielse |
| author_sort | Amée F. Wolters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:51:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f31a07ef7234875ae6f299f8b164a6a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2213-1582 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:51:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | NeuroImage: Clinical |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f31a07ef7234875ae6f299f8b164a6a2023-07-26T04:09:23ZengElsevierNeuroImage: Clinical2213-15822023-01-0139103479Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controlsAmée F. Wolters0Margot Heijmans1Nikos Priovoulos2Heidi I.L. Jacobs3Alida A. Postma4Yasin Temel5Mark L. Kuijf6Stijn Michielse7Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Department of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The NetherlandsSpinoza Centre for Neuroimaging, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Computational Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsSchool for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Gordon Center for Medical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USASchool for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre, The NetherlandsSchool for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Department of Neurosurgery, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Neurology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands; School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The NetherlandsSchool for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The NetherlandsIntroduction: 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.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158223001705Parkinson’s diseaseMagnetic resonance imagingUltra-high fieldNeuromelaninLocus coeruleusSubstantia nigra |
| spellingShingle | Amée F. Wolters Margot Heijmans Nikos Priovoulos Heidi I.L. Jacobs Alida A. Postma Yasin Temel Mark L. Kuijf Stijn Michielse Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls NeuroImage: Clinical Parkinson’s disease Magnetic resonance imaging Ultra-high field Neuromelanin Locus coeruleus Substantia nigra |
| title | Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls |
| title_full | Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls |
| title_fullStr | Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls |
| title_short | Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson’s disease and controls |
| title_sort | neuromelanin related ultra high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between parkinson s disease and controls |
| topic | Parkinson’s disease Magnetic resonance imaging Ultra-high field Neuromelanin Locus coeruleus Substantia nigra |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213158223001705 |
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