Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Bidesi, Natasha S. R.
• Vang Andersen, Ida
• Windhorst, Albert D.
• Shalgunov, Vladimir
• Herth, Matthias M.

Titel

The role of neuroimaging in Parkinson’s disease

Ist Teil von

• Journal of neurochemistry, 2021-11, Vol.159 (4), p.660-689

Ort / Verlag

England: Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2021

Quelle

Wiley-Blackwell Journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. Two hallmarks of PD are the accumulation of alpha‐synuclein and the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. There is no cure for PD, and all existing treatments focus on alleviating the symptoms. PD diagnosis is also based on the symptoms, such as abnormalities of movement, mood, and cognition observed in the patients. Molecular imaging methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single‐photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), and positron emission tomography (PET) can detect objective alterations in the neurochemical machinery of the brain and help diagnose and study neurodegenerative diseases. This review addresses the application of functional MRI, PET, and SPECT in PD patients. We provide an overview of the imaging targets, discuss the rationale behind target selection, the agents (tracers) with which the imaging can be performed, and the main findings regarding each target's state in PD. Molecular imaging has proven itself effective in supporting clinical diagnosis of PD and has helped reveal that PD is a heterogeneous disorder, which has important implications for the development of future therapies. However, the application of molecular imaging for early diagnosis of PD or for differentiation between PD and atypical parkinsonisms has remained challenging. The final section of the review is dedicated to new imaging targets with which one can detect the PD‐related pathological changes upstream from dopaminergic degeneration. The foremost of those targets is alpha‐synuclein. We discuss the progress of tracer development achieved so far and challenges on the path toward alpha‐synuclein imaging in humans. This review addresses the clinical application of functional MRI, PET, and SPECT imaging in Parkinson's disease (PD). We provide an overview of the imaging targets and agents (tracers) used in PD diagnosis and clinical research and discuss the main findings for each target. Molecular imaging has proven itself effective in supporting symptom‐based clinical diagnosis of PD, but early pre‐symptomatic diagnosis and differentiation between PD and atypical parkinsonisms have remained challenging. New imaging targets capable of revealing PD‐related pathological changes upstream from dopaminergic degeneration should help overcome these challenges. The foremost of those targets is alpha‐synuclein.