Imaging and Neurochemical Biomarkers in Parkinsonian Disorders

Dear Colleagues,

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder. Its neuropathological hallmarks include Lewy bodies (LBs), which are characterized by an intraneuronal aggregation of abnormally misfolded a-synuclein. Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is also a synucleinopathy characterized by glial cytoplasmic inclusions (GCIs), which refer to the abnormal aggregation of misfolded a-synuclein in oligodendroglial cells. In contrast to these diseases, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and corticobasal degeneration (CBD) are tauopathies with hyperphosphorylated tau-protein aggregation, resulting in astrocytic tufts and astrocytic plaques, respectively.

These disorders, in their typical manifestations, present with distinct clinical phenotypes, which assist in their differentiation based on established clinical diagnostic criteria. However, there is considerable phenotypical overlap among these disorders, especially in oligosymptomatic or atypical cases, highlighting the need for a biomarker with molecular specificity to enhance the in vivo recognition of the underlying pathology. Over the past 5 years, a-synuclein seeding assays (SAAs) have emerged as promising biomarkers for PD and other synucleinopathies, resulting in a shift in the conceptual framework of PD. Multiple imaging (MRI, Spect, PET) and neurochemical markers are being developed for tauopathies and synucleinopathies in an effort to establish a pathological diagnosis in vivo in patients with Parkinsonism.

This upcoming Special Issue will highlight the latest advances in fluid and imaging biomarkers for Parkinsonian disorders. Original articles, reviews, and case reports are all welcome.

Dr. Vasilios C. Constantinides
Guest Editor

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• progressive supranuclear palsy
• multiple system atrophy
• corticobasal syndrome
• CSF biomarkers
• MRI
• PET-CT
• dopamine transporter imaging