Abstract:

Although the biological function of neuromelanin has not yet been determined, the selective vulnerability of neuromelanin-containing neurons in patients with Idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (IPD) suggests a role for this pigment in neurodegeneration. Dr. Keizo Sugaya from Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital in Japan shows that recently developed ultra-high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems produce T1-weighted neuromelanin-sensitive images with very high spatial resolution, enabling the depiction of tissue containing neuromelanin. Here we review recent advances in neuromelanin-sensitive MRI in IPD and related conditions suggesting that neuromelanin may be a potential diagnostic biomarker for IPD.