Parkinson's disease related signal change in the nigrosomes 1-5 and the substantia nigra using T2* weighted 7T MRI

All nigrosomes can be detected using 7T MRI, and PD induced T2*weighted signal reduction was greatest in the nigrosomes (especially N1). The graded T2*weighted signal alterations in the nigrosomes match previously described differential histopathological effects of PD. N1 was identified with the highest confidence and T2*weighted signal in N1 correlated with UPDRS confirming N1 as the most promising SN marker of PD pathology.