Researchers in Nottingham have discovered a new biological indicator which could potentially help to track the progress of Parkinson's disease using powerful MRI scanners.
Using highly sensitive new brain imaging techniques, scientists from The University of Nottingham and clinicians at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have discovered a measurable trait on the human brain which could be used not only to diagnose the condition but potentially also to track progression of the disease.
Parkinson's develops when dopamine producing nerve cells in the brain die. Current diagnostic imaging tests using nuclear medical techniques are costly and cannot be used to monitor disease progression. There has been a need for such imaging tracking in Parkinson's disease to allow for the development of neuroprotective drugs through clinical trials.
In a paper published in the journal Neurology, the Nottingham researchers led by Penny, Gowland, Professor of Physics, reveal that this new discovery could potentially lead to a new diagnostic test for the disease.
Professor Gowland, who is based at the University's Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, said: "When conducting a different study of patients with Parkinson's, by using a 7T MRI scanner (which is an extremely powerful MRI scanner), we discovered a mark which looked like a 'tear drop' on the brains of healthy subjects, and this was not visible in the brains of patients. In subsequent post mortem scans, we actually discovered that this was something called nigrosome 1. It was known from previous post mortem work that nigrosome 1 could not be found in brains of Parkinson's disease patients.
'So this was a breakthrough discovery in that we now know that using this particularly sensitive MRI scanner, we can see that patients living with Parkinson's disease don't have this particular feature in their brain."
Now, researchers will take their findings and look into how this discovery can be translated into standard MRI scans used in most hospitals.
Professor Gowland added: "We are now conducting a study of patients with Parkinson's to ascertain when this mark actually disappears, which could potentially have huge implications for early diagnosis of the illness, and subsequently how it is treated."
DrNin Bajaj, Associate Honorary Clinical Professor in Neurology at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "By using highly accurate and sensitive brain imaging techniques for Parkinson's we are able to get an insight into the mechanism that causes the disease for the first time.
"We have been trying to find a biological marker for Parkinson's for many years and the reason is that we need a tool to measure change in the disease in clinical trials in a very sensitive way. This discovery is a step change in Parkinson's disease, it's a game changer as they say and the implications are potentially huge."
Explore further: Blood biomarker could mark severe cognitive decline, quicker progression among Parkinson's patients
More information: www.neurology.org/content/early/2013/07/10/WNL.0b013e31829e6fd2.short
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Researchers in Nottingham have discovered a new biological indicator which could potentially help to track the progress of Parkinson's disease using powerful MRI scanners.
Using highly sensitive new brain imaging techniques, scientists from The University of Nottingham and clinicians at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust have discovered a measurable trait on the human brain which could be used not only to diagnose the condition but potentially also to track progression of the disease.
Parkinson's develops when dopamine producing nerve cells in the brain die. Current diagnostic imaging tests using nuclear medical techniques are costly and cannot be used to monitor disease progression. There has been a need for such imaging tracking in Parkinson's disease to allow for the development of neuroprotective drugs through clinical trials.
In a paper published in the journal Neurology, the Nottingham researchers led by Penny, Gowland, Professor of Physics, reveal that this new discovery could potentially lead to a new diagnostic test for the disease.
Professor Gowland, who is based at the University's Sir Peter Mansfield Magnetic Resonance Centre, said: "When conducting a different study of patients with Parkinson's, by using a 7T MRI scanner (which is an extremely powerful MRI scanner), we discovered a mark which looked like a 'tear drop' on the brains of healthy subjects, and this was not visible in the brains of patients. In subsequent post mortem scans, we actually discovered that this was something called nigrosome 1. It was known from previous post mortem work that nigrosome 1 could not be found in brains of Parkinson's disease patients.
'So this was a breakthrough discovery in that we now know that using this particularly sensitive MRI scanner, we can see that patients living with Parkinson's disease don't have this particular feature in their brain."
Now, researchers will take their findings and look into how this discovery can be translated into standard MRI scans used in most hospitals.
Professor Gowland added: "We are now conducting a study of patients with Parkinson's to ascertain when this mark actually disappears, which could potentially have huge implications for early diagnosis of the illness, and subsequently how it is treated."
DrNin Bajaj, Associate Honorary Clinical Professor in Neurology at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "By using highly accurate and sensitive brain imaging techniques for Parkinson's we are able to get an insight into the mechanism that causes the disease for the first time.
"We have been trying to find a biological marker for Parkinson's for many years and the reason is that we need a tool to measure change in the disease in clinical trials in a very sensitive way. This discovery is a step change in Parkinson's disease, it's a game changer as they say and the implications are potentially huge."
Explore further: Blood biomarker could mark severe cognitive decline, quicker progression among Parkinson's patients
More information: www.neurology.org/content/early/2013/07/10/WNL.0b013e31829e6fd2.short
Medical Xpress on facebook
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Sep 18, 2013
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Jul 19, 2013
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Aug 11, 2013
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Sep 03, 2013
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Sep 18, 2013
A genetic mutation, known as GBA, that leads to early onset of Parkinson's disease and severe cognitive impairment (in about 4 to 7 percent of all patients with the disease) also alters how specific lipids, ceramides and ...
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Sep 16, 2013
Walter A. Rocca, M.D., M.P.H., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues examined the incidence of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Parkinson disease dementia (PDD) in a JAMA Neurology study of residents in Olm ...
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User comments
© Medical Xpress 2011-2013, Phys.org network
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