Peer-Reviewed Publication
NPJ Parkinsons Dis2026;12(1)February 13, 2026Journal Article
Neuromelanin imaging outperforms free water imaging in diagnosing early Parkinson's disease: a comparative MRI study.
Yun Hwa Roh1,2, Jinyoung Youn3,4, Sang-Young Kim5, Hwan Heo6, Soohwa Song6, Jeongwon Jo6, Eung Yeop Kim2, Yangsean Choi1, Sun Ju Chung7, Sungyang Jo7, Beomseok Sohn8
1Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
2Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
3Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
4Neuroscience Center, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
5MR Clinical Science, Philips Healthcare, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
6Heuron Co. Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea.
7Department of Neurology, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
8Department of Radiology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. beomseoksohn@gmail.com.
Abstract
Early and accurate diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains challenging due to reliance on clinical assessment of motor symptoms. This retrospective study compared the diagnostic performance of neuromelanin (NM)-sensitive MRI and free water (FW) imaging in 247 patients with early PD and 78 controls from a single tertiary center, with independent external validation in a separate cohort acquir…
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