VOLUME 29, ISSUE 4 • DECEMBER 2025.
Receiving the Junior Award at the 2025 MDS Congress is an incredible honor, and I am deeply grateful for this recognition. As a neuroradiologist with a strong interest in neuroimaging of atypical Parkinsonian syndromes, my goal has always been to use imaging not just as a diagnostic tool, but as a window into the biological processes that drive these complex disorders. This award underscores the significance of this work and the potential of advanced imaging to significantly contribute to our understanding of neurodegeneration.
I trained in neuroradiology at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, followed by a research master’s in biomedical imaging. Eventually, my interest in the mechanisms underlying Parkinsonian disorders led me to pursue a PhD focused on utilizing multimodal MRI and machine learning to enhance early differential diagnosis and elucidate disease-specific pathophysiology. I am further extending this work as part of my postdoctoral fellowship at the Neuro, McGill University, Montreal. My recent work draws on both my clinical and research backgrounds, emphasizing how imaging can bridge clinical observations with molecular processes occurring deep within the brain.
In the study recognized by the award, titled “Atrophy in Multiple System Atrophy Relates to Mitochondrial and Oligodendrocytic Processes,” we aimed to better understand the biological underpinnings of brain atrophy in multiple system atrophy (MSA). Although MSA is a well-recognized α-synucleinopathy primarily targeting oligodendrocytes, its pathophysiology remains incompletely understood. Neuroimaging offers a unique opportunity to explore these mechanisms non-invasively.
Our cohort included 65 patients with MSA and 181 healthy controls. We first mapped the pattern of brain atrophy using structural MRI, which showed the expected involvement of the cerebellum, pons, and basal ganglia, especially the putamen. What makes this study innovative is how we linked these structural changes to underlying molecular pathways by integrating MRI data with transcriptomic information from the Allen Human Brain Atlas, an extensive gene-expression resource derived from postmortem healthy brains. Using partial least squares regression, we identified gene-expression components that aligned with the MSA-specific atrophy pattern. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that the atrophic regions showed overexpression of genes related to mitochondrial function and oligodendrocytic processes, two pathways central to MSA pathology. Crucially, when we repeated the analysis in a PD cohort, the mitochondrial gene enrichment appeared only in MSA, supporting its disease specificity. We further complemented this approach with PET receptor-density maps derived from large, publicly available datasets. By correlating receptor distributions with MSA-related atrophy patterns, we examined how neurotransmitter and cellular receptor systems may be altered or vulnerable in regions affected by the disease. This combined imaging-molecular approach highlights how routine MRI, when paired with normative molecular datasets, can yield biologically meaningful insights.
One of the most important implications of this work is that it strengthens the biological validity of MRI-based markers. Showing that structural changes correspond to underlying mitochondrial and oligodendrocytic abnormalities brings us closer to developing imaging biomarkers that not only detect disease but also track progression or therapeutic response.
Looking ahead, I plan to expand this line of research. I am currently focusing on ultra-high-field MRI at 7 Tesla, which offers exceptional spatial resolution and may allow us to detect microscopic changes previously beyond our reach. Another promising direction is spinal cord imaging, an underexplored yet critical area in Parkinsonian disorders. Much emphasis has been placed on the brain, but important pathological processes also occur at the spinal level, and advanced imaging may help uncover them.
Receiving the Junior Award is both a privilege and a motivation to continue pursuing this work. I hope these efforts contribute to improving early diagnosis, refining biomarkers, and ultimately deepening our understanding of MSA and related disorders.
You can view the 2025 plenary session recordings, including the Junior Award lectures, through April 30, 2025.
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