A comparative examination of volume of the subcortical structures by magnetic resonance images of parkinson patients with the HEALTHY individuals

Aim: Parkinson's is a neurodegenerative disease that occurs due to substantia nigra degeneration and negatively affects brain volume. The aim of our study is to examine the volume changes in subcortical brain structures due to Parkinson's disease. In order to minimize the effect of the difference between individuals, the volume ratios were also compared by dividing the building volumes by the Total Intracranial Volume. Importance: Detecting the volume changes in subcortical structures and identifying the affected structures will enable early diagnosis of the disease and early measures to be taken according to the functions of the structures. Method: Magnetic resonance imaging of 58 Parkinson's patients (15 women, 43 men) and 28 healthy individuals (9 women, 19 men) were included in the study. Volume measurements were made on the images with the automatic brain segmentation program BrainSuite. Results: While right nucleus caudatus volume ratio were significantly lower in Parkinson's disease group; left putamen volume and left globus pallidus volume, left putamen volume ratio and bilateral globus pallidus volume ratios were significantly lower in control group. This showed us that looking at volume ratios also makes a difference. Keywords: Parkinson; Subcortical Structures; Grey Matter; BrainSuite; Total Intracranial Volume