T1 and T2 Relaxation Times from Substantia Nigra in Parkinson's Disease and Control

Abstract

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, and also other neurodegenerative disorders, is based on clinical examination. Many attempts are undertaken to nd a test that could conrm this clinical diagnosis. Many hopes were attributed to magnetic resonance imaging but its importance remains obscure. The aim of this study was to compare T 1 and T 2 relaxation times from substantia nigra of patients with clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and age-matched controls. A decrease of T 2 (54.5 ± 1.4 ms vs. 58.0 ± 1.5 ms) in Parkinson's disease vs. control was found with condence level of 5%. T 1 did not dier signicantly between Parkinson's disease and control (624 ± 17 ms vs. 614 ± 21 ms).