[Stitcher]

New insights on early Parkinson's provided by advanced MRI

Published: Thursday, 17-Apr-2008

READ full article: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=37470
Medical Studies/Trials

Two studies from the University at Buffalo being presented at the 2008 American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago shed new light on very early development of the disease.

The work is the result of a joint project by neurology and imaging specialists from UB, Stavanger University Hospital and University of Bergen, both in Norway.

Turi O. Dalaker, M.D., a doctoral fellow from Stavanger University Hospital who conducted the research in the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC), is first author on both studies. The BNAC, housed in Kaleida Health's Buffalo General Hospital, is part of the Jacobs Neurological Institute, the Department of Neurology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

The symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) result from disintegration of the brain's white matter, the network of nerves that transport messages to the various brain regions, and grey matter, the brain regions where those messages are received, interpreted and acted upon.

Using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies available at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC), the researchers can identify brain regions linked to Parkinson's disease based on images showing the status of both white and grey matter.

One study, a case-control investigation, compared brain MRI scans and scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), a standard mental screening test, of 155 patients diagnosed with early Parkinson's disease with those of 101 normal subjects. Results will be presented today (April 17, 2008).