High resolution multi-parametric probabilistic in vivo atlas of dorsolateral nigral hyperintensity via 7 T MRI

The role of Nigrosome 1 (N1) in neurodegeneration and motor disorders, particularly in Parkinson’s disease (PD), is increasingly recognized. The study of this region using quantitative measures, such as iron quantification through Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM), can provide enlightening insights into some pathological features of these diseases representing important biomarkers. However, the small size and the vanishing contrast with respect to the surrounding substantia nigra in PD patients make the segmentation of N1 challenging. For this reason, we provide a probabilistic atlas of the N1 portion corresponding to the swallow-tail hyperintensity, hereafter referred to as the Dorsolateral Nigral Hyperintensity (DNH), created on a high-resolution multi-parametric template from T1-weighted, T2*-weighted, and QSM images acquired in vivo at 7 T. The atlas also includes quantitative T2* and R2* templates and is provided in the MNI standard space. It aims to facilitate the study of N1, avoiding operator-dependent biases in segmentations, and allowing the standardisation of the quantitative assessment.