Diagnosis and elucidation of Parkinson related disorders using common medical devices

Abstract

Now, the various images are necessary for the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, and brain MRI and brain perfusion SPECT are widely used in daily medical practices. Furthermore, in the diagnosis of Parkinson related disorders, the images such as myocardial MIBG scintigraphy and dopamine transporter scintigraphy are useful, but not sufficient. Therefore, we assess that it is possible to obtain useful information for the differential diagnoses and elucidation of neurodegenerative diseases by introducing the new settings and the image analysis methods in common medical devices. 1) We developed Individual Voxel–based Morphometry Adjusting Covariates (iVAC), a new voxel–based morphometry for brain MRI. By evaluating the atrophy of the putamen, pons, and middle cerebellar peduncle, we could show the possibility of distinguishing between multiple system atrophy and Parkinson disease with high accuracy. 2) By evaluating the atrophy of the nucleus ruber and the subthalamic nucleus using quantitative susceptibility mapping, we are trying to distinguish Parkinson disease from progressive supranuclear palsy. 3) By analyzing the brain perfusion SPECT in many Parkinson disease cases, we are trying to show that the blood flow decrease of the occipital lobe is the remote effect. 4) We succeeded in developing the serotonin transporter imaging by utilizing the property that 123I–ioflupane, which is the nuclide of the dopamine transporter scintigraphy, also binds to serotonin transporter. We are trying to evaluate the abnormality of the serotonin transporter in multiple system atrophy, in which medullary serotonin nerve loss was reported.