The structural and functional organization of the brain as shown on MRI can predict the progression of brain atrophy in patients with early-stage, mild Parkinson's disease, according to a study published today in Radiology , a journal of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder characterized by tremors, slowness of movement or rigidity. Symptoms worsen over time and may include cognitive impairment and sleep problems.
The disease affects more than 8.5 million people worldwide, and prevalence has doubled in the past 25 years, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the distinctive features of Parkinson's disease is the presence of altered versions of the protein alpha-synuclein in the brain.
Normally present in the brain, this protein accumulates as misfolded clumps inside nerve cells in Parkinson's disease, forming structures known as Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. These clumps spread to other brain regions, damaging nerves. Researchers wanted to see if mapping the structural and functional connections across the brain could be used to predict patterns of atrophy spread in patients with mild Parkinson's disease.
They used MRI data from 86 patients with mild Parkinson's disease and 60 healthy control participants to generate the connectome, a structural/functional map of the brain's neural connections. The researchers used the connectome to develop an index of disease exposure. Disease exposure at one year.