Abstract: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a technique that utilizes the spin of hydrogen atoms in water and the hemodynamic response to neuronal activity to determine which areas of the brain are active at a given moment. fMRI has been used extensively in the study of movement disorders, especially Parkinson's disease (PD). PD is a difficult disease to diagnose and treat, because of its lack of testable biomarkers. fMRI has allowed for more objective studies to be performed that have added to the knowledge of how PD affects the brain. Through fMRI, researchers have found that PD causes a decrease in functional connectivity in the cerebral cortex, which causes the PD patient's poor motor control and lack of motor response to sensory input. Certain parts of the cerebral cortex, including those involved in movement, have been shown to be over-activated in PD patients, which could be a cause of the classic symptoms of PD, including a resting tremor, stooped posture, and freezing of gait. fMRI studies are still being conducted to further the knowledge of PD with the hope of determining a biomarker for the diagnosis of the disease early in its development.
Reader profile: The reader is a third-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine taking an elective course in neuroimaging. The reader is knowledgeable in neuroanatomy and physiology, but has not been exposed to fMRI and its role in movement disorders.
Reader's response: Interesting perspective of PD from the perspective of the fMRI technique. I wonder if PD, like Alzhemier's, has a definitive biomarker for a diagnosis post-mortem? And could fMRI play a role in finding this biomarker? Because fMRI is used when the patient is alive, I wonder if the technique can find a marker that can predict a patient's likelihood of developing PD or showing PD symptoms?
Reader profile: The reader is a third-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine taking an elective course in neuroimaging. The reader is knowledgeable in neuroanatomy and physiology, but has not been exposed to fMRI and its role in movement disorders.
Reader's response: Interesting perspective of PD from the perspective of the fMRI technique. I wonder if PD, like Alzhemier's, has a definitive biomarker for a diagnosis post-mortem? And could fMRI play a role in finding this biomarker? Because fMRI is used when the patient is alive, I wonder if the technique can find a marker that can predict a patient's likelihood of developing PD or showing PD symptoms?