Motivation: Employing multimodal approaches enables a more accurate examination of abnormal changes in Parkinson's disease. Goal(s): To examine the relationship between iron deposition and metabolic changes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) using Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM) and Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) techniques. Approach: The midbrain and bilateral thalami were identified as regions of interest, and correlations between QSM values and metabolic markers, such as glutamate + glutamine (Glu + Gln,Glx), were analyzed. Results: The results revealed a negative correlation between QSM values and Glx levels in the left thalamus in PD patients (P = 0.019). Impact: This finding may clarify the neuronal loss and metabolic dysregulation in the thalamic region during the progression of Parkinson's disease, providing new biomarkers for monitoring disease advancement.
Cheng et al. (Tue,) studied this question.