Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes

Abstract Alterations in brain volume and subcortical myelin content (MyC) between tremor-dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) subtypes of Parkinson’s (PD) disease remain unclear. This study investigated whole-brain volume and subcortical myelin content differences among...

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Main Authors: Dongliang Cheng, Junyan Wen, Nan Ding, Zhenpeng Duan, Biqing Lin, Yunjun Yang, Yaozhong Wu, Hang Wang, Jincheng Ma, Jialu Zhang, Zhifeng Xu, Hai Zhao, Yulin Liu, Ge Wen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-08-01
Series:npj Parkinson's Disease
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01120-x
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author Dongliang Cheng
Junyan Wen
Nan Ding
Zhenpeng Duan
Biqing Lin
Yunjun Yang
Yaozhong Wu
Hang Wang
Jincheng Ma
Jialu Zhang
Zhifeng Xu
Hai Zhao
Yulin Liu
Ge Wen
author_facet Dongliang Cheng
Junyan Wen
Nan Ding
Zhenpeng Duan
Biqing Lin
Yunjun Yang
Yaozhong Wu
Hang Wang
Jincheng Ma
Jialu Zhang
Zhifeng Xu
Hai Zhao
Yulin Liu
Ge Wen
author_sort Dongliang Cheng
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Alterations in brain volume and subcortical myelin content (MyC) between tremor-dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) subtypes of Parkinson’s (PD) disease remain unclear. This study investigated whole-brain volume and subcortical myelin content differences among PD motor subtypes using synthetic MRI. Ninety-two PD patients (39 TD and 53 PIGD) and 39 healthy controls were included. ANCOVA identified that PD patients exhibited reduced gray matter, white matter, and MyC, with no distinct atrophy patterns between TD and PIGD. Most subcortical nuclei showed decreased myelin, while PIGD presented more extensive alterations and increased bilateral caudate myelin; TD exhibited asymmetric thalamic myelin changes, with lateralized increases and decreases. Significant MyC differences in the left caudate and right GPi were observed between TD and PIGD. Synthetic MRI-derived parameters provide insights into whole-brain atrophy patterns and dynamic myelin changes in PD, contributing to a deeper understanding of PD subtypes.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2373-8057
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Nature Portfolio
record_format Article
series npj Parkinson's Disease
spelling doaj-art-06be9e2061004f058df52e9b0c9bb4302025-08-24T11:14:44ZengNature Portfolionpj Parkinson's Disease2373-80572025-08-0111111010.1038/s41531-025-01120-xSynthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypesDongliang Cheng0Junyan Wen1Nan Ding2Zhenpeng Duan3Biqing Lin4Yunjun Yang5Yaozhong Wu6Hang Wang7Jincheng Ma8Jialu Zhang9Zhifeng Xu10Hai Zhao11Yulin Liu12Ge Wen13Medical Imaging Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityMedical Imaging Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityDepartment of Neurology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Neurology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Neurology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyMR Research, GE HealthcareDepartment of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Radiology, The First People’s Hospital of Foshan (Foshan Hospital Affiliated to Southern University of Science and Technology), School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Panyu Central Hospital of Guangzhou Medical UniversityMedical Imaging Center, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical UniversityAbstract Alterations in brain volume and subcortical myelin content (MyC) between tremor-dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD) subtypes of Parkinson’s (PD) disease remain unclear. This study investigated whole-brain volume and subcortical myelin content differences among PD motor subtypes using synthetic MRI. Ninety-two PD patients (39 TD and 53 PIGD) and 39 healthy controls were included. ANCOVA identified that PD patients exhibited reduced gray matter, white matter, and MyC, with no distinct atrophy patterns between TD and PIGD. Most subcortical nuclei showed decreased myelin, while PIGD presented more extensive alterations and increased bilateral caudate myelin; TD exhibited asymmetric thalamic myelin changes, with lateralized increases and decreases. Significant MyC differences in the left caudate and right GPi were observed between TD and PIGD. Synthetic MRI-derived parameters provide insights into whole-brain atrophy patterns and dynamic myelin changes in PD, contributing to a deeper understanding of PD subtypes.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01120-x
spellingShingle Dongliang Cheng
Junyan Wen
Nan Ding
Zhenpeng Duan
Biqing Lin
Yunjun Yang
Yaozhong Wu
Hang Wang
Jincheng Ma
Jialu Zhang
Zhifeng Xu
Hai Zhao
Yulin Liu
Ge Wen
Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes
npj Parkinson's Disease
title Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes
title_full Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes
title_fullStr Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes
title_full_unstemmed Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes
title_short Synthetic MRI study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various Parkinson’s disease motor subtypes
title_sort synthetic mri study of brain volume and subcortical myelin in various parkinson s disease motor subtypes
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-025-01120-x
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