Biomarkers of Neurodegenerative Disease using Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging |Biomedgrid

With the significant global growth in the number of aging societies, neurological illnesses have become more prevalent. Urgently required are biomarkers that may be utilized to identify pathological alterations prior to the onset of severe neuronal loss and hence permit early intervention with disease-modifying treatment approaches. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising technique that can be used to infer microstructural characteristics of the brain, including microstructural integrity and complexity, as well as axonal density, order, and myelination, by utilizing water molecules that are diffused within the tissue, with displacement at the micron scale. For assessing the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative disorders, diffusion tensor imaging is the most used diffusion MRI method. New methods, such as neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging, diffusion kurtosis imaging, and free-water imaging, have been developed to circumvent the limitations of diffusion tensor imaging. This article presents an overview of these technologies and their potential as biomarkers for the early diagnosis and development of significant neurodegenerative illnesses.