Establishment of high accuracy early diagnosis method of neurodegenerative diseases using DKI, QSM and Neuromelanin MRI

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25461325
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurology
• Research Institution: Iwate Medical University
• Principal Investigator: Ohtsuka Chigumi 岩手医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (40364343)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TERAYAMA Yasuo 岩手医科大学, 医学部神経内科・老年科, 教授 (70146596) ; SASAKI Makoto 岩手医科大学, 医学部超高磁場MRI診断・病態研究部門, 教授 (80205864) ; KONNO Kanako 岩手医科大学, 医学部神経内科・老年科, 助教 (90583592)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 拡散尖度画像 / パーキンソン病 / パーキンソン症候群 / 早期鑑別診断

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Differential diagnosis among Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and progressive supranuclear palsy syndrome at the early stage is often difficult. Hence, we investigated whether diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI) and quantitative susceptibility map, QSM) can detect subtle changes that occur in the deep nuclei, brainstem, and cerebellum of patients with early-stage parkinsonian syndromes, and if this technique can readily differentiate between such disorders. Using the DKI technique, mainly mean kurtosis (MK) maps, we detected substantial differences in structures among patients with early-stage parkinsonian syndromes showing minimal differences on conventional MRI.
Then we investigate whether DKI with a quantitative imaging marker, the diffusion magnetic resonance parkinsonism index (dMRPI), can help to differentiate between these disorders. The dMRPI-MK can contribute to early differential diagnoses of neurodegenerative disorders accompanied by parkinsonism.

Free Research Field

神経内科学