Microglia activation is related to substantia nigra echogenicity
1Department of Neurodegeneration, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University of Tübingen, Hoppe-Seyler-Str. 3, 72076 Tübingen, Germany. daniela.berg@uni-tuebingen.de
Abstract:
Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN) is a sensitive marker for Parkinson's disease (PD). Previously, a relation between SN echogenicity and iron as well as neuromelanin content could be described in 60 human brains. In the present study on a subset of 33 brains, SN echogenicity was found to be correlated with microglia activation (ρ = 0.46, p = 0.008) after correction for iron and neuromelanin content. These findings strengthen the hypothesis of a close pathophysiological connection between SN hyperechogenicity and PD pathology.
