MRI and diagnosing early Parkinson’s

The use of neuromelanin-sensitive and iron-sensitive MRI sequences in the diagnosis of early-stage Parkinson’s disease

Published on December 1, 2022

I chose this subject because, unfortunately, my uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago. He has been on a decline ever since, with treatments having little if any impact on his symptoms. I wanted to better understand the cause, how the disease is diagnosed and the role of medical imaging. Diagnosing Parkinson’s remains a challenge. However, I discovered recent studies showing the potential role medical imaging could play in aiding early and accurate disease diagnosis, which would likely improve the effectiveness of the treatments offered to patients.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder characterised clinically by bradykinesia, alongside other, often varying motor symptoms1. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, with more than 6 million people diagnosed with the condition globally2.

Despite its high and increasing prevalence, accurate diagnosis of PD remains a challenge,...

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