One-Year Substantia Nigra R 2 * Changes across Parkinson's Disease Stages.
One-Year Substantia Nigra R 2 * Changes across Parkinson's Disease Stages.
Where did the research take place?
Possible study sites were matched from the text; these need review.
Montréal, CA · Possible study site
Motor and non-motor assessments, performed in the on-medication state, included the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and mood/apathy scales.Location evidence
Clermont-Ferrand, FR · Author affiliation
Neurology Department and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, University Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand University Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand, France.Location evidence
Lille, FR · Author affiliation
Department of Medical Pharmacology, Expert Centre of Parkinson's Disease, University of Lille, LilNCog, Lille Neuroscience and Cognition, INSERM UMR-S1172, CHU de Lille LICEND COEN Center Lille and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Lille, France.Location evidence
Paris, FR · Author affiliation
Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau - ICM, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris; Inserm 1127, CNRS 7225; Département de Neuroradiologie and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network; Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.Location evidence
Toulouse, FR · Author affiliation
ToNIC, Toulouse NeuroImaging Center, Université de Toulouse, INSERM, UPS, Toulouse, France.Location evidence
Poitiers, FR · Author affiliation
Service de Neurologie, Centre Expert Parkinson, and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, INSERM, CHU de Poitiers, Université de Poitiers, Centre d'Investigation Clinique CIC1402, Poitiers, France.Location evidence
Limoges, FR · Author affiliation
Parkinson Expert Center, Limoges University Hospital, Limoges, France.Location evidence
FR · Author affiliation · country only
Department of Neurology, Brive Hospital, Brive, France.Location evidence
Reims, FR · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, CHU Reims, and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Reims, France.Location evidence
Nancy, FR · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, Nancy University Hospital Center, and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Nancy, France.Location evidence
Bordeaux, FR · Author affiliation
CHU Bordeaux, Service de Neurologie - Maladies Neurodégénératives, IMNc and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Bordeaux, France.Location evidence
Christchurch, NZ · Author affiliation
Dept. Medicine, University of Otago, and New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.Location evidence
Créteil, FR · Author affiliation
Centre Expert Parkinson CHU Henri Mondor; AP-HP et Equipe Neuropsychologie Interventionnelle, INSERM-IMRB, Faculté de Santé, Université Paris-Est Créteil et Ecole Normale Supérieure Université PSL, and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Créteil, France.Location evidence
Grenoble, FR · Author affiliation
Université Grenoble Alpes, CHU de Grenoble, Service de Neurologie, Grenoble Institute of Neuroscience, and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Grenoble, France.Location evidence
Lyon, FR · Author affiliation
Univ Lyon, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), CNRS UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, Bron, France.Location evidence
Bron, FR · Author affiliation
Univ Lyon, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), CNRS UMR 5292, INSERM U1028, Bron, France.Location evidence
Oullins, FR · Author affiliation
Faculté de Médecine et de Maïeutique Lyon Sud Charles Mérieux, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Oullins, France.Location evidence
Montpellier, FR · Author affiliation
Department of Neurology, CIC, Institut d'Imagerie Fonctionnelle Humaine, Montpellier University Hospital and NS-PARK/FCRIN Network, Montpellier, France.Location evidence
A plain-language reading has not been prepared for this paper yet.
Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relaxometry using R 2 * measurement is a promising non-invasive marker of brain iron-related changes in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although longitudinal susceptibility MRI studies have demonstrated progression over time, the stage-dependent dynamics of R 2 * changes across the full spectrum of PD duration remain incompletely characterized. OBJECTIVES: The goal was to assess 1-year longitudinal R 2 * changes across PD stages within a multicenter framework, compared with healthy controls (HC). METHODS: In this prospective multicenter study, 95 PD patients and 65 age- and sex-matched HC underwent 3 T MRI and clinical evaluation at baseline and 1 year. PD patients were stratified by disease duration (<5, 5-10, 10-15, >15 years). R 2 * values were extracted from basal ganglia regions, focusing primarily on the substantia nigra (SN). Motor and non-motor assessments, performed in the on-medication state, included the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and mood/apathy scales. RESULTS: SN R 2 * increased significantly over 1 year across PD patients (+5% within-group) and HC (+2% within-group), resulting in a +3% greater longitudinal change in PD versus HC (P < 0.001). Larger SN R 2 * changes were observed in patients with longer disease duration (r = 0.28; P = 0.006). Significant R 2 * changes were also detected in other basal ganglia regions. No significant change in motor or non-motor disability in the on-medication state was observed over 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: SN R 2 * increased over 1 year in PD across disease stages, with larger changes in more advanced patients and no evidence of an early plateau. These findings support the potential of R 2 * as a sensitive imaging marker of PD progression over short intervals. © 2026 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.