ArticleNeuroImage. Clinical2023
Neuromelanin related ultra-high field signal intensity of the locus coeruleus differs between Parkinson's disease and controls.
Article in NeuroImage. Clinical, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Neuroimaging of the monoaminergic system in Parkinson's disease: A narrative review.Neuroimage. Reports · 2026Review
- Is There a Relationship Between Movement and Sleep Disturbances in Essential Tremor?Brain sciences · 2026Article
- Utility of Locus Coeruleus Signal Intensity on High-resolution T1-weighted MR Imaging with Magnetization Transfer for Differentiating Parkinson's Disease from Atypical Parkinsonism.Magnetic resonance in medical sciences : MRMS : an official journal of Japan Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine · 2026Article
- The quest for the best: manual, atlas- and spatial prior-based delineation of locus coeruleus.NeuroImage. Clinical · 2026Article
- Altered white matter connection from the locus coeruleus to the thalamus in Parkinson's disease.Neuroimage. Reports · 2025Article
- Inverse Association of Locus Coeruleus MRI Integrity With Structural Volume and Its Impact on Individual's Inattentiveness.Human brain mapping · 2025Article
- Neuromelanin-sensitive MRI for mechanistic research and biomarker development in psychiatry.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Review
- Neuroimaging and fluid biomarkers in Parkinson's disease in an era of targeted interventions.Nature communications · 2024Review
- Diagnostic utility of 7T neuromelanin imaging of the substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease.NPJ Parkinson's disease · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionNeuromelanin related signal changes in catecholaminergic nuclei are considered as a promising MRI biomarker in Parkinson's disease (PD). Until now, most studies have investigated the substantia nigra (SN), while signal changes might be more prominent in the locus coeruleus (LC). Ultra-high field MRI improves the visualisation of these small brainstem regions and might support the development of imaging biomarkers in PD.
objectivesTo compare signal intensity of the SN and LC on Magnetization Transfer MRI between PD patients and healthy controls (HC) and to explore its association with cognitive performance in PD.
methodsThis study was conducted using data from the TRACK-PD study, a longitudinal 7T MRI study. A total of 78 early-stage PD patients and 36 HC were included. A mask for the SN and LC was automatically segmented and manually corrected. Neuromelanin related signal intensity of the SN and LC was compared between PD and HC.
resultsPD participants showed a lower contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) in the right SN (p = 0.029) and left LC (p = 0.027). After adding age as a confounder, the CNR of the right SN did not significantly differ anymore between PD and HC (p = 0.055). Additionally, a significant positive correlation was found between the SN CNR and memory function. DISCUSSION: This study confirms that neuromelanin related signal intensity of the LC differs between early-stage PD patients and HC. No significant difference was found in the SN. This supports the theory of bottom-up disease progression in PD. Furthermore, loss of SN integrity might influence working memory or learning capabilities in PD patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.