6533b858fe1ef96bd12b5893

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra in healthy controls is related to MRI changes and to neuronal loss as determined by F-Dopa PET

Gerhard FussMathias SchreckenbergerStefanie BehnkeWolfgang ReithDaniela BergChristoph KrickUlrich DillmannHans-georg BuchholzU. Schroeder

subject

AdultMalePathologymedicine.medical_specialtyCognitive NeuroscienceSubstantia nigraReference ValuesmedicineHumansNeuronsmedicine.diagnostic_testbusiness.industryTissue inhomogeneityHealthy subjectsParkinson DiseaseMagnetic resonance imagingMiddle AgedEchoencephalographyMagnetic Resonance ImagingPathophysiologyDihydroxyphenylalanineTranscranial DopplerSubstantia NigraNeurologyPositron-Emission TomographyT2 relaxationIron contentFemaleRadiopharmaceuticalsbusiness

description

Abstract Transcranial ultrasound (TCS) has been shown to reveal hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN) in Parkinsonian patients and in about 10% of healthy controls. It is hypothesized that SN hyperechogenicity in healthy subjects is a vulnerability marker for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD). Although there is strong evidence that the echomarker results from increased local iron content, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Thus, prognostic impact can only be estimated. We examined 14 subjects with SN hyperechogenicity (SN+) (7 IPD patients and 7 controls) and 7 healthy controls without the echomarker (SN−) by a magnetic resonance imaging method (MRI; T2 relaxation times) known to reveal tissue inhomogeneity following abnormal iron content and by F-Dopa PET to assess nigrostriatal function.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2009-10-01NeuroImage
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.05.072