SCIENTIFIC HUB

Follow the evidence.

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE · MED

Using <sup>1</sup>H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to Evaluate the Efficacy of Pharmacological Treatments in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review.

Int J Mol Sci · 2025-09-25

DOI: 10.3390/ijms26199351PMID: 41096620

Open accessSystematic Review; review-article; Journal ArticleOriginal source ↗

Research overview

The text below is the source article’s original abstract under a verified reuse license. cc by

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurological disorder, characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons. Treatments remain symptomatic, and objective biomarkers for therapeutic response are lacking. This review aims to evaluate the potential of Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-MRS) to provide objective and reproducible biomarkers for monitoring treatment response in PD. This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines. Articles were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase, and studies employing 1H-MRS to evaluate pharmacological treatments in PD were included, analyzing pre- and post-treatment changes. Six studies were included, investigating cannabinoids, dopamine agonists, monoamine oxidase B inhibitors, and levodopa. Key metabolites analyzed were N-acetylaspartate, Creatine, Choline, myo-Inositol, and Glx (glutamate+glutamine). Increases in NAA, a marker of neuronal integrity and mitochondrial function, suggested neuroprotective mechanisms of dopaminergic drugs, while stable Cho and mI levels, markers of membrane metabolism and inflammatory processes, suggested limited short-term responsiveness. This is the first systematic review evaluating 1H-MRS for monitoring neurometabolic changes induced by pharmacological treatments in PD. Observed metabolite changes appear to reflect treatment mechanisms and potential neuroprotective properties. Findings suggest that 1H-MRS may serve as an objective biomarker for assessing therapeutic efficacy and potential neuroprotective drug effects, although further studies are needed to confirm its clinical utility.

Scientific assessment

01

Research question

Assess the question within the original study’s scope.

02

Methods & sample

Check the source article for study design and sample details.

03

Key findings

An editorially approved findings summary is not yet published for this record.

04

Limitations

Generalizability, bias and clinical meaning require separate assessment.

Methods, samples and clinical conclusions are not inferred from bibliographic metadata.