A unique workflow to improve visualization and speed of the “Swallow Tail” appearance in the Substantia Nigra

Motivation: Develop a robust fast imaging method to visualize changes in the substantia nigra for early diagnosis in patients with movement disorders. Goal(s): Test the performance of a product echo-planar imaging (EPI) blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) MRI sequence to visualize the T2* hyperintense 'swallow tail' appearance in the dorsolateral substantia nigra. Approach: We scanned three volunteers using an EPI BOLD sequence, utilized the split application to separate each mosaic, then applied the mean evaluation function across the multiple measurements. Results: The mean of 10 measurements clearly depicts the hyperintense nigrosome-1 found in the dorsolateral substantia nigra in all healthy volunteers within a feasible time. Impact: We created a robust imaging workflow to delineate the substantia nigra in healthy volunteers. The visualization of the swallow tail appearance or lack of can be an imaging biomarker allowing for earlier detection of pathological changes associated with Parkinson's disease.