title: Neuroimaging: current role in detecting pre-motor Parkinson's disease.
abstract: Convergent evidence suggests a pre-motor period in Parkinson's disease (PD) during which typical motor symptoms have not yet developed although dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra have started to degenerate. Advances in different neuroimaging techniques have allowed the detection of functional and structural changes in early PD. This review summarizes the state of the art knowledge concerning structural neuroimaging techniques including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transcranial B-mode-Doppler-sonography (TCS) as well as functional neuroimaging techniques using radiotracer imaging (RTI) with different radioligands in detecting pre-motor PD.
authors.affiliation: Center of Neurology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegeneration and German Center of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Godau
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hussl
authors.forename: Praween
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lolekha
authors.forename: A Jon
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Stoessl
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seppi
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology