Quantitative imaging of iron dysregulation in multiple system atrophy

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which sensitive and objective imaging biomarkers for early diagnosis and disease monitoring remain limited. Iron dysregulation is implicated in MSA pathophysiology and represents a promising therapeutic target. We used quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) MRI to characterize regional patterns of iron accumulation in early-stage MSA and to explore its potential diagnostic and longitudinal utility. 3T MRI data were acquired from 38 individuals with MSA, including 10 early-stage patients with 12-month follow-up, along with 43 patients with Parkinson's disease and 23 age-matched healthy controls. Magnetic susceptibility was quantified in the substantia nigra, globus pallidus, putamen, and dentate nucleus using median and 75th-percentile metrics, and patient-specific voxel-wise z-score maps were generated relative to normative distributions. Compared with Parkinson's disease and healthy controls, individuals with MSA exhibited significantly elevated susceptibility in the globus pallidus and substantia nigra, with smaller effects in the putamen. Seventy-fifth percentile metrics demonstrated greater sensitivity to group differences than median measures, capturing focal iron accumulation. Globus pallidus susceptibility was strongly associated with clinical severity. Longitudinal analyses revealed significant increases in susceptibility over 12 months in early-stage MSA in the substantia nigra and globus pallidus. These findings demonstrate that QSM detects progressive, clinically relevant iron accumulation in MSA, and that higher-order susceptibility metrics and patient-level normative mapping enhance sensitivity to focal pathology, supporting QSM-derived measures as imaging biomarkers for diagnosis, disease monitoring, and assessment of iron-modulating therapies.