Reproducibility of Iron and Neuromelanin Changes of Deep Grey Matter in 2 Large Movement Disorder Cohorts

Diagnosing movement disorders (MDS) is a major challenge clinically. Neuromelanin and iron serve as biomarkers for MDS but few studies have evaluated a large number of cases for multiple disorders. We studied 614 patients consisting of two cohorts with different resolutions. The QSM and NM-MRI data were automatically processed using a unique template program. The results from both cohorts showed reproducible changes of iron and neuromelanin in the deep gray matter. Specifically, a loss of neuromelanin volume, an increase in iron content of the SN for both PD and MSA; increased RN iron and decreased putamen volume in MSA.