The method matters: free water imaging in Parkinson's disease is not a binary verdict.

IF 8.5 1区医学 Q1 NEUROSCIENCES

NPJ Parkinson's Disease Pub Date : 2026-09-12 DOI:10.1038/s41531-026-01492-8

A Enrique Martinez-Nunez, Angelos Barmpoutis, Michael S Okun, David Vaillancourt

引用次数: 0

Abstract

A recent comparison of neuromelanin and free water (FW) imaging in Parkinson's disease concluded that FW imaging underperforms. We argue this reflects methodological constraints, not biological truth. Three issues compromise FW sensitivity: use of a registration template that degrades substantia nigra localization, an age imbalance between groups that favors neuromelanin detection, and repetition times insufficient to capture the FW compartment. With unmet acquisition requirements, the technique was never correctly applied.

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方法很重要：帕金森病的自由水显像不是一个二元结论。

最近的一项比较神经黑色素和自由水（FW）成像在帕金森病中的表现得出结论，FW成像表现不佳。我们认为这反映了方法论上的限制，而不是生物学上的真理。有三个问题影响FW的敏感性：使用降低黑质定位的注册模板，有利于神经黑色素检测的组之间的年龄不平衡，以及重复次数不足以捕获FW隔室。由于未满足采集需求，该技术从未得到正确应用。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

NPJ Parkinson's Disease Medicine-Neurology (clinical)

CiteScore

9.80

自引率

5.70%

发文量

156

审稿时长

11 weeks

期刊介绍： npj Parkinson's Disease is a comprehensive open access journal that covers a wide range of research areas related to Parkinson's disease. It publishes original studies in basic science, translational research, and clinical investigations. The journal is dedicated to advancing our understanding of Parkinson's disease by exploring various aspects such as anatomy, etiology, genetics, cellular and molecular physiology, neurophysiology, epidemiology, and therapeutic development. By providing free and immediate access to the scientific and Parkinson's disease community, npj Parkinson's Disease promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing among researchers and healthcare professionals.