This book is a comprehensive and balanced review of the advanced imaging techniques in Parkinson’s disease. It addresses important aspects in this field, including the science behind the imaging tools, their potential usefulness for diagnosis as well as advantages and shortcomings of emerging imaging techniques in everyday clinical practice.
The book is intended for neurologists in the field of movement disorders, neuro-radiologists and basic neuroscience researches. It is clear, and takes the reader step-by-step.
The first couple of chapters address the role of dopaminergic imaging, PET and SPECT, in clarifying the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease, particularly presynaptic nigrostriatal dysfunction. The third chapter, however, looks at the study of glucose metabolism and brain blood flow in the improving our understanding of the neuronal circuitry of Parkinson’s Disease pathophysiology. The fourth chapter explores the imaging of structural abnormalities, whilst the fifth outlines the limitations of transcranial sonography in Parkinsonian disorders.
Imaging to investigate specific problems in Parkinson’s disease is covered in a series of dedicated chapters: tremor, motor deficits, cognitive dysfunction are studied in Chapters 7,8, 9 and 10.
In terms of more fundamental neuroscience, theories of aetiology receive attention, in particular inflammation and activation of microglia in Chapter 11. The biomarkers of disease progression, the effects of treatment, medical and surgical, and complications of therapy are elegantly described in chapters 12, 13, 15 and 14 respectively. Last but not least, potential applications in research and clinical trials, are discussed in the final chapters.
The book as a whole or its component parts, depending on the reader’s interest, may be recommended for general reading. It contains invaluable citation lists and high quality illustrations, to make it a good source of reference. Its description of numerous hypotheses may well stimulate, or inspire, the research readership. Its price, £70, is as handsome as its illustrations.
