Neuromelanin magnetic resonance imaging of the substantia nigra in first episode psychosis patients consumers of illicit substances

Neuromelanin (NM) is a by-product of the metabolism of noradrenalin and dopamine, neurotransmitters which are mainly distributed in the Substantia Nigra (SN) and Locus Coeruleus (Zucca et al., 2014). NM can be detected using a high-resolution Fast Spin Echo T1-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) sequence at 3T (Sasaki et al., 2006).

Source: Schizophrenia Research - February 21, 2018 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Marta Tavares, Sofia Reim ão, Inês Chendo, Miguel Carvalho, Pedro Levy, Rita G. Nunes Tags: Letter to the Editor Source Type: research