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Published on: February 14, 2012
Parkinson's disease diffusion MRI is not affected by acute antiparkinsonian medication
Jae Woo Chung1, Roxana G Burciu1, Edward Ofori1
1Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Objective:
A prior longitudinal study demonstrates that free-water diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) tracks progression in the substantia nigra (Ofori et al., 2015b). Here, we test the acute effects of antiparkinsonian medication on this established imaging progression marker for the first time.
Methods:
Fifteen PD patients underwent dMRI OFF and ON-medication one day apart. ON-medication, patients were tested approximately 45 min after their usual dose of antiparkinsonian medication. OFF-medication, patients were tested after not taking antiparkinsonian medication for > 12 h. OFF and ON-medication was counter-balanced across subjects. For dMRI, we computed free-water and free-water corrected fractional anisotropy (FAt) within the following regions: caudate, putamen, substantia nigra, and subthalamic nucleus.
Results:
ON-medication significantly reduced parkinsonian motor symptoms compared with OFF-medication (p < 0.001). dMRI measures (free-water and FAt) were not different between the OFF and ON-medication conditions.
Conclusions:
Administration of an acute does of anti-parkinsonian medication in PD does not affect free-water and FAt in key nigrostriatal structures. Free-water and FAt biomarkers reflect the chronic state of the nigrostriatal circuit, and therefore are potential viable biomarkers for disease-modifying therapeutic studies in PD.
Insights
Antiparkinsonian medication does not acutely alter diffusion MRI markers like free-water and FAt in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. These imaging biomarkers reflect chronic disease state, supporting their use in tracking progression and testing new therapies.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Prior research indicates free-water diffusion MRI (dMRI) tracks substantia nigra progression in Parkinson's disease (PD).
- The acute impact of antiparkinsonian medication on these dMRI markers remains uninvestigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the immediate effects of antiparkinsonian medication on dMRI-derived free-water and fractional anisotropy (FAt) in PD patients.
- To determine if these imaging markers reflect acute medication response or chronic disease state.
Main Methods:
- Fifteen PD patients underwent dMRI scans both OFF and ON their usual antiparkinsonian medication.
- Free-water and FAt values were computed in the caudate, putamen, substantia nigra, and subthalamic nucleus.
- Medication state (OFF/ON) was counter-balanced across participants.
Main Results:
- Antiparkinsonian medication significantly improved motor symptoms in PD patients (p < 0.001).
- No significant differences were observed in free-water or FAt values between the OFF and ON-medication conditions.
Conclusions:
- Acute administration of antiparkinsonian medication does not influence free-water and FAt in key nigrostriatal structures in PD.
- These dMRI biomarkers appear to reflect the chronic state of the nigrostriatal circuit.
- Free-water and FAt show potential as viable biomarkers for disease-modifying therapeutic studies in PD.
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