Imaging the Nigrostriatal Pathway in Subjects With and Without Parkinson's Disease

Principle Investigators: Daniel Claassen, M.D., Demetrius (Jim) Maraganore, M.D., and John Huston, III, M.D.

Genome-wide association (GWA) studies have highlighted the axon guidance pathway in Parkinson's disease (PD). While the mechanism by which axon guidance pathway variability predisposes to PD is unclear in human subjects, genetic knock out mice suggest that aberrant ascending trajectory of nigrostriatal tracts may result in congenital nigrostriatal dopamine deficiency. We propose to evaluate the nigrostriatal pathways of both PD and normal patients using novel DTI and tractography techniques to determine whether there are detectable abnormalities of these tracts in PD patients.