title: Chemical exchange saturation transfer MR imaging of Parkinson's disease at 3 Tesla.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To demonstrate the feasibility of using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) imaging to detect Parkinson's disease (PD) in patients at 3 Tesla.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven PD patients (17 men and 10 women; age range, 54-77 years) and 22 age-matched normal controls (13 men and 9 women; age range, 55-73 years) were examined on a 3-Tesla MRI system. Magnetization transfer spectra with 31 different frequency offsets (-6 to 6 ppm) were acquired at two transverse slices of the head, including the basal ganglia and midbrain. One-way analysis of variance tests was used to compare the differences in CEST imaging signals between PD patients and normal controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total CEST signal between the offsets of 0 and 4 ppm in the substantia nigra was significantly lower in PD patients than in normal controls (P = 0.006), which could be associated with the loss of dopaminergic neurons. Protein-based CEST imaging signals at the offset of 3.5 ppm in the globus pallidus, putamen and caudate were significantly increased in PD patients, compared to normal controls (P < 0.001, P = 0.003, P < 0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CEST imaging signals could potentially serve as imaging biomarkers to aid in the non-invasive molecular diagnosis of PD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  • Total CEST signal in substantia nigra decreased in PD patients • Protein-based CEST signals in basal ganglia increased in PD patients • CEST could assist with the non-invasive molecular diagnosis for PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Beijing Hospital, No. 1 Da-Hua Road, Dong Dan, Beijing, 100730, China.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Haibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Xuna
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Jinyuan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001479:Basal Ganglia / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013378:Substantia Nigra / Q000473:pathology*