Deep-learning Saturation Transfer Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (ST-MRF) in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.
Authors
Affiliations (6)
Affiliations (6)
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Department of Neurology, University-Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Institute of Neurogenetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Center for Brain, Behavior and Metabolism, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
- Division of MR Research, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Division of MR Research, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Neuroregeneration and Stem Cell Programs, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Physiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Division of MR Research, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is marked by progressive neurodegeneration in the substantia nigra (SN). This study evaluated deep-learning saturation-transfer magnetic resonance fingerprinting (ST-MRF) to quantify molecular and microstructural changes in PD. We examined 23 patients with PD (PwPD) and 22 matched healthy controls (HCs) using multimodal imaging, including ST-MRF. ST-MRF detected significant molecular and microstructural alterations in the SN of PwPD compared to HCs, including increases in magnetization transfer ratio at 3.5 ppm (MTR(3.5ppm, 1.5 µT); 0.612 ± 0.022 vs. 0.597 ± 0.021, p = 0.014), MTR(-3.5ppm, 1.5 µT); 0.614 ± 0.021 vs. 0.586 ± 0.019, p = 0.008)), and decreases in T<sub>2</sub><sup>w</sup> (51.9 ± 3.4 vs. 54.5 ± 1.3 ms, p = 0.005), suggesting disrupted protein homeostasis and iron accumulation. ST-MRF provides multiparametric insights into PD-related pathology and may serve as a candidate tool for future biomarker studies. Validation in larger, longitudinal cohorts will be essential to establish its clinical utility.