{
  "abstract": "The locus coeruleus (LC) and substantia nigra (SN) have attracted attention in the search for early biomarkers and new therapeutic targets in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases. MRI methods that provide contrast in the LC and SN are commonly described as “neuromelanin-sensitive.” This terminology originated from early observations linking the MRI signal topography to apparent spatial correspondence with pigmented regions at autopsy.\n\nHowever, converging evidence from MRI physics, modelling, and animal studies indicates that the observed contrast cannot be attributed specifically to neuromelanin. Instead, it reflects a complex interplay of different MRI physical properties that can yield diverse biological interpretations depending on the context, age, region, and disease. Continued use of the term therefore risks conflating MRI measurement properties with biological interpretation, leading to overattributing MRI-signal changes to neuromelanin accumulation and loss across the lifespan and with disease.\n\nWe argue that the term “neuromelanin-sensitive” should be abandoned, and propose instead a descriptive reporting framework with terminology that separates acquisition (“type”), the visible signal (“contrast”), quantification (“derivative”), and biological interpretation (“inference”). This new approach will improve interpretability, comparability, and conceptual rigor in locus coeruleus and substantia nigra research.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 5,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Heidi I. L. Jacobs"
    },
    {
      "name": "Dorothea Hämmerer"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mara Mather"
    },
    {
      "name": "Benedikt A Poser"
    },
    {
      "name": "James Rowe"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/28d3ey4jy0m75.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/94h6n_v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "28d3ey4jy0m75",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/94h6n_v1/",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "bepress",
      "Clinical Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Cognitive Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Life Sciences"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Psychiatry"
    ],
    [
      "bepress",
      "Systems Neuroscience"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2741|Advanced MRI Techniques and Applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7212219675",
  "pdf_url": "https://osf.io/94h6n/download",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-09",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/28d3ey4jy0m75.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:25:30Z",
      "native_id": "94h6n",
      "source": "osf",
      "url": "https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/94h6n_v1/"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "bepress:Cognitive Neuroscience",
      "subfield": "neuroscience"
    },
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "bepress:Psychiatry",
      "subfield": "psychiatry"
    }
  ],
  "title": "A call for a mechanistic-neutral nomenclature replacing “neuromelanin-sensitive” imaging",
  "title_text": "A call for a mechanistic-neutral nomenclature replacing “neuromelanin-sensitive” imaging",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:25:30Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/28d3ey4jy0m75",
  "venue": "PsyArXiv",
  "versions": []
}