Problem Relevance. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic progressive disease, in the pathogenesis of which the pathological deposition of alpha-synuclein protein in brain neurons plays a decisive role, leading to their damage and death. Along with various forms of multisystem atrophy, dementia with Lewy bodies, and several other neurodegenerative diseases, PD refers to synucleinopathies [1].
In addition to the pathological deposition of alpha-synuclein, some factors are involved in the pathogenesis of PD, one of which is oxidative stress. Direct damage to neurons through the formation of free radicals may be a key link in the development of the disease. The hydroxyl radical, one of the most reactive and short-lived of all reactive oxygen species, can cause lipid peroxidation, as well as oxidize carbohydrates, amino acids, and nucleic acids. The formation of the hydroxyl radical occurs during the Fenton reaction during the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ with the participation of hydrogen peroxide. Ferrous iron is a highly reactive metal and its presence can indirectly lead to damage to the neurons of the central nervous system (CNS) [2].
One of the experimental methods for visualizing the distribution of iron in the brain is Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI), a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) pulse sequence, described in detail by E. Haacke et al. in 2004, which is a method of forming images weighted by magnetic susceptibility [3]. The final SWI image is based on the combination of the original amplitude image with a "phase mask" obtained from the phase images. In this way, an increased contrast between tissues is achieved, and substances with paramagnetic properties (including iron) in SWI images will have a significantly lower signal [4]. Another high-tech neuroimaging method is diffusion tensor MRI (DT-MRI) (and MR tractography), which makes it possible to assess the level of fractional anisotropy (FA) of the white and grey matter of the brain. This parameter characterizes the integrity of the conductive structures of the CNS, and it can be used indirectly to judge the preservation of the function of the studied components.