Quantitative MRI Volumetry of Deep Thalamic Nuclei in Parkinson’s Disease Subtypes Using VolBrain Segmentation
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Background Parkinson’s Disease (PD) includes two major motor subtypes: tremor-dominant (TD) and non-tremor-dominant (NTD). Clinical differentiation relies on subjective evaluation, underscoring the need for objective imaging markers that reflect structural variation within motor-related thalamic nuclei. Objective To compare relative volumetric differences of motor-related thalamic nuclei between tremor-dominant and non-tremor-dominant Parkinson’s Disease. Methods This research applied a retrospective cross-sectional design using 3D T1-weighted MRI data from 24 PD patients (12 TD, 12 NTD). The VolBrain platform with DeepThalamus segmentation quantified absolute and relative thalamic volumes normalized to total intracranial volume. Statistical comparisons used independent t-tests and Mann–Whitney U tests with a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results VAN, VLAN, and VLPN volumes were significantly lower in TD patients (p = 0.006, p = 0.018, and p = 0.027, respectively), while AVN showed no significant difference. Conclusion Quantitative thalamic volumetry using VolBrain provides objective evidence of subregional thalamic alteration in TD PD and may serve as a potential imaging biomarker for motor subtype differentiation.
