Quantitative nigrostriatal dopamine MR imaging for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K17239
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 52040:Radiological sciences-related
• Research Institution: Kumamoto University
• Principal Investigator: Fujiwara Yasuhiro 熊本大学, 大学院生命科学研究部(保), 准教授 (90422675)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: パーキンソン病 / 神経変性 / 磁気共鳴画像 / 黒質 / 定量評価 / 緩和時間 / ドパミン神経

Outline of Final Research Achievements

A quantitative MR imaging technique was developed for the early detection of substantia nigra degeneration. The substantia nigra T1 values of patients with Parkinson's disease were significantly lower than those of normal subjects in the ventral region, suggesting its usefulness as an imaging biomarker for diagnosing Parkinson's disease. We also developed a spatially standardized atlas for selective assessment of vulnerable regions of substantia nigra, allowing quantitative assessment of relaxation time for each region. Baseline values of proton density, T1 and T2 values for each region, and age-related changes in relaxation times in each region were identified, allowing region-specific assessment of degeneration in a standardized space.

Free Research Field

放射線医学、放射線技術学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

黒質の神経変性を早期に検出するための定量MRイメージング技術を開発した。パーキンソン病患者の黒質T1値は、腹側部で健常者よりも有意に低下したことから、黒質のT1値が早期のパーキンソン病診断となる可能性が示された。また、本研究で開発した黒質のアトラスは、脆弱性の高い領域を選択的に評価可能であり、得られたベースライン値を用いて各領域の緩和時間を詳細に変性評価が可能になった。今後、黒質に対する早期の変性評価への応用が期待できる。