Comparison of structural connectivity in Parkinson's disease with depressive symptoms versus non-depressed: a diffusion MRI connectometry study

• Published in: International psychogeriatrics 2019-01, Vol.31 (1), p.5-12
• Main Authors: Ansari, Mina, Adib Moradi, Sahand, Ghazi Sherbaf, Farzaneh, Hedayatnia, Abozar, Aarabi, Mohammad Hadi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Behavior disorders; Biomarkers; Brain research; Comorbidity; Data analysis; Depression - diagnosis; Depression - physiopathology; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Disease Progression; Early Diagnosis; Female; Fox, Michael J; Humans; International Cooperation; Magnetic resonance imaging; Male; Males; Medical imaging; Mental depression; Middle Aged; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Original Research Article; Parkinson Disease - complications; Parkinson Disease - diagnosis; Parkinson Disease - physiopathology; Parkinson's disease; Quality of life; REM sleep; REM Sleep Behavior Disorder - diagnosis; REM Sleep Behavior Disorder - physiopathology; Sleep; Studies; White Matter - pathology; White Matter - physiopathology
• ISSN: 1041-6102; 1741-203X
• DOI: 10.1017/S1041610218000170

ABSTRACTObjective:Research on psychobiological markers of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains a hot topic. Non-motor symptoms such as depression and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) each attribute to a particular neurodegenerative cluster in PD, and might enlighten the way for early prediction/detection of PD. The neuropathology of mood disturbances remains unclear. In fact, a few studies have investigated depression using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (diffusion MRI). Diffusion MRI of PD patients without comorbid RBD was used to assess whether microstructural abnormalities are detectable in the brain of 40 PD patients with depression compared to 19 patients without depression. Diffusion MRI connectometry was used to carry out group analysis between age- and gender-matched PD patients with and without depressive symptoms. Diffusion MRI connectometry is based on spin distribution function, which quantifies the density of diffusing water and is a sensitive and specific analytical method to psychological differences between groups. A significant difference (FDR = 0.016129) was observed in the left and right uncinate fasciculi, left and right inferior longitudinal fasciculi, left and right fornices, left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, right corticospinal tract, genu of corpus callosum, and middle cerebellar peduncle. These results suggest the prominent circuits involved in emotion recognition, particularly negative emotions, might be impaired in comorbid depressive symptoms in PD.