Morphological changes in Parkinson's disease based on magnetic resonance imaging: A mini-review of subcortical structures segmentation and shape analysis

World J Psychiatry. 2022 Dec 19;12(12):1356-1366. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v12.i12.1356.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, resulting in clinical symptoms, including bradykinesia, resting tremor, rigidity, and postural instability. The pathophysiological changes in PD are inextricably linked to the subcortical structures. Shape analysis is a method for quantifying the volume or surface morphology of structures using magnetic resonance imaging. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in morphological analysis techniques for studying the subcortical structures in PD in vivo. This approach includes available pipelines for volume and shape analysis, focusing on the morphological features of volume and surface area.

Keywords: Dopaminergic neurons; Magnetic resonance imaging; Morphological; Parkinson's disease; Substantia nigra.

Publication types

  • Review