Unlike individuals with Parkinson’s disease, patients with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome at risk of Parkinson show an increase in dopamine at striatal regions. Since iron levels are related to dopamine levels, we studied the difference of magnetic susceptibility between 17 patients with the deletion and 19 healthy individuals. Susceptibility measurements were obtained with QSM and then compared using a Mann Whitney U test. Results showed a significant difference in the substantia nigra, which indicates a possible cause for the increased levels of dopamine in 22q11.2 individuals at Parkinson’s risk.
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