A Novel Approach in Parkinson’s Disease Assessment using Quantitative MRI for Neuromelanin, QSM and χ-Separation

Motivation: Parkinson's disease is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder, with clinical assessment remaining a significant challenge. Goal(s): To address this, we developed a multi-parametric MRI protocol to quantify disease related marker such as neuromelanin loss, increased magnetic susceptibility and macromolecular changes. Approach: This approach incorporates neuromelanin-sensitive (NM-) MRI and susceptibility-sensitive contrasts (e.g. R2*, QSM, and χ-separation). Additionally, it provides deeper insight into NM-MRI contrast mechanism by quantifying T1-values and assessing the impact of magnetization transfer (MTsat and MTR). Results: The protocol and image reconstruction have been successfully applied in a preclinical context and are now part of a clinical study on Parkinson's disease. Impact: Multiple studies have explored novel imaging approaches for Parkinson's disease. Our MR protocol provides an effective, comprehensive multi-parametric approach to quantify neuromelanin loss, increased susceptibility, and changes in magnetization transfer, offering more precise quantitative biomarkers.