Title:Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Nuclear Imaging of Parkinsonian
Disorders: Where do we go from here?
Volume: 22
Issue: 10
Author(s): Félix-Antoine Savoie, David J. Arpin and David E. Vaillancourt*
Affiliation:
- Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, Laboratory for Rehabilitation Neuroscience, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL, USA
- Department of Neurology, Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL, USA
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville,
FL, USA
Keywords:
Parkinson’s disease, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging, cerebral blood flow, MSA, corticobasal degeneration.
Abstract: Parkinsonian disorders are a heterogeneous group of incurable neurodegenerative diseases
that significantly reduce quality of life and constitute a substantial economic burden. Nuclear imaging
(NI) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have played and continue to play a key role in research
aimed at understanding and monitoring these disorders. MRI is cheaper, more accessible, nonirradiating,
and better at measuring biological structures and hemodynamics than NI. NI, on the other
hand, can track molecular processes, which may be crucial for the development of efficient diseasemodifying
therapies. Given the strengths and weaknesses of NI and MRI, how can they best be applied
to Parkinsonism research going forward? This review aims to examine the effectiveness of NI and
MRI in three areas of Parkinsonism research (differential diagnosis, prodromal disease identification,
and disease monitoring) to highlight where they can be most impactful. Based on the available literature,
MRI can assist with differential diagnosis, prodromal disease identification, and disease monitoring
as well as NI. However, more work is needed, to confirm the value of MRI for monitoring prodromal
disease and predicting phenoconversion. Although NI can complement or be a substitute for
MRI in all the areas covered in this review, we believe that its most meaningful impact will emerge
once reliable Parkinsonian proteinopathy tracers become available. Future work in tracer development
and high-field imaging will continue to influence the landscape for NI and MRI.
