Substantia Nigra Iron Deposition in Lewy Body Disease: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Neuropathology Study

To compare iron deposition in the substantia nigra (SN) as measured with quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) on antemortem magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between individuals with and without Lewy-related pathology at autopsy.

We performed a retrospective cohort study including 54 participants who underwent autopsy and antemortem MRI with QSM. Cases were classified as Lewy body disease (LBD)-present (n = 13) if they had Lewy-related pathology and LBD-absent (n = 41) if they did not have Lewy-related pathology. QSM was calculated for the whole SN and the two subregions: pars compacta (SNc) and pars reticulata (SNr). Nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare SN QSM values between LBD-present and LBD-absent cases. Area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) analyses tested the accuracy of SN QSM values to distinguish the two groups. Associations of QSM values in the SN and its subregions with clinical features were tested with Spearman's correlations.

The LBD-present group had higher QSM values in the SNc (P = 0.008) than the LBD-absent group with no differences in SNr. QSM values of the SNc distinguished LBD-present and LBD-absent cases with good accuracy (AUC = 0.74) and correlated with the presence of parkinsonism and parkinsonism severity.

This study provides neuropathological confirmation of the utility of SNc QSM as an in vivo biomarker of Lewy-related pathology. Imaging evidence of abnormal iron deposition in the SNc could potentially serve as a biomarker for inclusion in emerging research frameworks aimed at defining individuals with LBD based on their biological characteristics. Ultimately, this could facilitate more precise diagnoses and guide treatment strategies in LBD. © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.