Study reveals increased iron deposition and altered imaging in cynomolgus monkeys, highlighting implications for Parkinson's disease diagnostics.
Motivation: The disappearance of the "swallow-tail sign" of the substantia nigra（SN） and abnormal iron deposition in deep-brain nuclei are common imaging features of Parkinson's disease (PD). Goal(s): To investigate the effects of α-synuclein (α-syn) transmission on cynomolgus monkeys and simulate PD-related changes in susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) of the brain. Approach: Eight α-syn cynomolgus monkey models and control groups were subjected to MRI scanning. Results: The α-syn model displayed considerable increases in iron deposition and changes in the "swallow-tail sign," mirroring findings in patients with PD, indicating the model's validity for studying PD mechanisms. Impact: This study establishes the α-syn monkey model as a valuable tool for investigating the pathophysiologic mechanism behind the brain imaging changes in PD, enhancing the understanding of iron deposition and aiding in the search for early diagnostic markers.
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Xie et al. (2025) studied this question.
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