Predicting Parkinson's Disease Before It Strikes: A Brain Imaging Study in At-Risk Individual

This study aims to characterize neurodegeneration progression in patients with polysomnography (PSG)-confirmed longstanding idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and to develop a prognostic model for clinical evolution and earlier identification of cases at risk of short-term conversion to clinically defined Parkinson's disease (PD). The study uses a multiparametric approach combining longitudinal clinical, neuropsychological, quantitative PSG, and multiparametric brain MRI markers (structural MRI, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI) to track neurodegeneration from the prodromal stage of PD and predict individual disease evolution. 50 patients with PSG-confirmed iRBD (duration since diagnosis greater than or equal to 5 years) and 50 age- and sex-matched healthy controls will be assessed at baseline and every year for 3 years at IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.