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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Alessandro Galgani, Professor Nicola PaveseORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2022, The Author(s). Locus Coeruleus (LC) is the main noradrenergic nucleus of the brain, which is involved in many physiological functions including cognition; its impairment may be crucial in the neurobiology of a variety of brain diseases. Locus Coeruleus-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (LC-MRI) allows to identify in vivo LC in humans. Thus, a variety of research teams have been using LC-MRI to estimate LC integrity in normal aging and in patients affected by neurodegenerative disorders, where LC integrity my work as a biomarker. A number of variations between LC-MRI studies exist, concerning post-acquisition analysis and whether this had been performed within MRI native space or in ad hoc-built MRI template space. Moreover, the reproducibility and reliability of this tool is still to be explored. Therefore, in the present study, we analyzed a group of neurologically healthy, cognitively intact elderly subjects, using both a native space- and a template space-based LC-MRI analysis. We found a good inter-method agreement, particularly considering the LC Contrast Ratio. The template space-based approach provided a higher spatial resolution, lower operator-dependency, and allowed the analysis of LC topography. Our ad hoc-developed LC template showed LC morphological data that were in line with templates published very recently. Remarkably, present data significantly overlapped with a recently published LC “metaMask”, that had been obtained by averaging the results of a variety of previous LC-MRI studies. Thus, such a template space-based approach may pave the way to a standardized LC-MRI analysis and to be used in future clinic–anatomical correlations.
Author(s): Giorgi FS, Martini N, Lombardo F, Galgani A, Bastiani L, Della Latta D, Hlavata H, Busceti CL, Biagioni F, Puglisi-Allegra S, Pavese N, Fornai F
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Journal of Neural Transmission
Year: 2022
Volume: 129
Pages: 387-394
Print publication date: 01/04/2022
Online publication date: 20/03/2022
Acceptance date: 02/03/2022
Date deposited: 28/03/2022
ISSN (print): 0300-9564
ISSN (electronic): 1435-1463
Publisher: Springer Nature
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-022-02486-5
DOI: 10.1007/s00702-022-02486-5
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