Quantitative evaluation of deep gray matter in striatal-cerebellar-brainstem circuits in Parkinson’s disease patients with freezing of gait

This study evaluated the structural changes of the deep gray matter in the cortico-basal ganglia and cerebellar motor circuit in Parkinson’s disease patients with freezing of gait. Using region-of-interest-based quantitative susceptibility mapping analysis, we found pronounced striatum atrophy combined with caudal substantia nigra abnormal iron accumulation in Parkinson’s disease patients with freezing of gait. This result offered new insight into future research investigating the pathophysiology of the freezing of gait.