Niels Focke
Quantitative MRI (qMRI) offers the unique opportunity to generate objective biomarkers of human brain anatomy and (dys-)function. This is particularly relevant for neurodegenerative diseases where clinical assessment may be difficult or, as in Parkinson disease (PD), severely influenced by medication. One of the most challenging questions in imaging in PD concerns differential diagnosis against the so-called atypical Parkinson syndromes like multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, and others. Currently, the clinical differential diagnosis often takes years and may still be false in at least 20% of cases. As such, the choice to validate the use of qMRI for this question was easy: it is where a clinical impact could be most immediate. Our study was among the first to compare the qMRI profile of different Parkinson syndromes head-to-head and, hopefully, can aid in selecting promising imaging markers for further studies, especially the longitudinal studies needed to truly assess whether these enable an earlier diagnosis, preferably in the premotor prodromal phase, where a neuroprotective treatment may have the strongest effect.
We are currently working to integrate these markers with more advanced techniques of network analysis like graph-theory to allow an even more comprehensive assessment and cooperate with other researchers worldwide.