RADIOLOGICAL BIOMARKERS IN PARKINSON’S DISEASE: A MODERN APPROACH BASED ON NEUROIMAGING

Parkinson’s disease is one of the most prevalent neurodegenerative disorders, and its early diagnosis and differential assessment remain pressing challenges in clinical practice. While conventional clinical approaches are often reliable in advanced stages, radiological neuroimaging techniques provide unique advantages for early and accurate diagnosis. This article highlights the diagnostic potential of radiological biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease, focusing on their identification through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and transcranial sonography. Recent studies indexed in Scopus demonstrate that dopamine transporter SPECT (DaT-SPECT) and FDG-PET serve as sensitive biomarkers for early disease detection, whereas neuromelanin-sensitive MRI and dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity (DNG) represent valuable structural markers.