Changes in Elasticity and Microstructural Properties of the Brain due to Parkinson's Disease

Motivation: MR Elastography (MRE) of the brain is a novel technique that elucidates the viscoelastic properties of the brain. Changes in e.g. stiffness of various brain regions often occur at an early stage in neuropathologies. Goal(s): Assessing how viscoelastic properties of the brain changes with Parkinson’s disease, and study the microstructural mechanisms behind these changes. Approach: We investigated how the viscoelasticity of the brain changes for diseased subjects compared to controls (21 subjects), and correlated these changes with microstructural properties (based on multidimensional diffusion imaging). Results: We found a softening effect of the occipital and temporal lobes, possibly correlated with early neural atrophy. Impact: The presented results show how PD affects the brain in a new combination of modalities which can help to better understand the pathology, which may, for example, lead to new methods for early PD diagnosis.