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Reduction of the Substantia Nigra Width and Motor Decline in Aging and Parkinson's Disease
Jesús Pujol, MD;
Carme Junqué, PhD;
Pere Vendrell, PhD;
Josep M. Grau, MD;
Antoni Capdevila, MD
Arch Neurol. 1992;49(11):1119-1122.
Abstract
• We studied the functional significance of the involutional and degenerative changes in the substantia nigra as seen on magnetic resonance imaging. The width of the pars compacta correlated with motor performance in both healthy elderly subjects and idiopathic Parkinson's disease groups. Patients exhibited significant reduction of the width of the pars compacta and the level of this reduction correlated strongly with the clinical status evaluated by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. These results suggest that pars compacta shrinkage may account for a substantial part of the structural substratum of motor decline in the elderly. Moreover, an analysis of the relationship of the midbrain damage with specific symptoms in Parkinson's disease could contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis of this degenerative process.
Author Affiliations
From the Department of Neurology, Sta Creu i St Pau Hospital, Autonomous University of Barcelona (Spain) (Drs Pujol, Vendrell, and Grau); Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona (Dr Junqué); and Centre Mèdic de Ressonància Magnètica de Barcelona (Dr Capdevila).
Footnotes
Accepted for publication April 27, 1992.
Reprint requests to the Department of Neurology, Sta Creu i St Pau Hospital, Av St AM Claret 167, E-08025 Barcelona, Spain (Dr Pujol).
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