Free Water MRI Allows Tracking of Neuron Damage and Worsening Parkinson's Symptoms
Orange County, CA - August 4th 2017 - Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder that affects the body’s movements. Often starting as a tremor in the hand, Parkinson’s can also manifest through slow movement, stiffness, and loss of balance. Approximately one million people in the United States are currently living with the disease. The cause is unknown, and although there is currently no antidote, medication and surgery are available to manage its symptoms.
Parkinson’s develops due to the malfunctioning and death of vital nerve cells in the brain, called neurons. Scientists at the University of Florida have discovered a new way of tracking these neurons and the fluid variations in the brain while observing changes caused by the disease. The study was published in the Oxford journal Brain, funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
David Vaillancourt, Ph. D, a professor of applied physiology and kinesiology at the University of Florida in Gainsville, FL, led a team of researchers through a study implementing a form of MRI that differentiates between water within brain cells and “free” water outside of cells. The sample population was composed of two groups, patients with healthy brains versus those in the early stages of Parkinson’s. Healthy patients were shown to have a steady amount of “free” water in the brain over the course of a year. Meanwhile, Parkinson’s patients’ water continued to increase over the next three years. Expanding on a prior study conducted by the team, these findings confirmed the correlation between the amount of water encompassing brain cells and worsening symptoms.
The study’s results suggest that this MRI-based free water measurement could be used in upcoming clinical trials for Parkinson’s disease. If a treatment slows or stops the growth in free water, this could indicate that the drug is working to slow the loss of neurons. Dr. Vaillancourt speculated that his team’s free water approach could prove cost effective by decreasing the number of participants needed in future trials. His team is currently running a study using free water to gauge the effect of a potential Parkinson’s treatment. Concurrently, the group is attempting to develop computer programs to expedite the process of free water exploration. However, more research is needed to determine the causation of free water in the brain to fluctuate.
