Multiparametric qMRI and dMRI gradients in the striatum are associated with Parkinson’s disease motor dysfunction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with degeneration in the striatum, a deep brain structure. It was recently shown with clinical MRI that in vivo gradients in the striatum of PD patients are related to the early-stage symptoms and pathology. However, the spatial variation in quantitative biophysical properties in PD is still unknown. Here, we collected multiparametric quantitative MRI of PD patients. We reveal distinct spatial profiles in the striatum that corroborate previous findings and show a relationship between putamen water fraction and motor behavior. Thus, our study provides new insights for the biological mechanisms associated with PD behavior.