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Altered diffusion in the frontal lobe in Parkinson disease
A T Karagulle Kendi1, S Lehericy, M Luciana
1Department of Radiology, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn., USA.
AJNR. American Journal of Neuroradiology
|January 19, 2008
Summary
Diffusion tensor imaging revealed reduced fractional anisotropy in the frontal lobes of Parkinson disease patients, indicating neurodegeneration beyond the basal ganglia. These white matter changes occur without gray matter volume loss.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Radiology
Background:
- Parkinson disease (PD) primarily affects the basal ganglia.
- Standard MRI may not fully capture widespread neurodegeneration in PD.
- Whole-brain white matter and gray matter changes require advanced imaging techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize whole-brain gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) changes in Parkinson disease.
- To utilize diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for assessing neurodegeneration in PD.
- To investigate if neurodegenerative changes extend beyond the basal ganglia in PD.
Main Methods:
- Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and 3D T1-weighted MRI were used.
- 12 non-demented Parkinson disease patients and 13 controls were studied.
- Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analyzed DTI and anatomical images.
Main Results:
- Parkinson disease patients showed decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) bilaterally in frontal lobes.
- Affected areas included the supplementary motor area, presupplementary motor area, and cingulum.
- No significant differences in mean diffusivity or gray/white matter attenuation were found between groups.
Conclusions:
- DTI analysis revealed reduced FA in frontal white matter in Parkinson disease patients.
- These findings suggest neurodegenerative processes extend beyond the basal ganglia.
- No significant gray matter volume loss was detected in the studied frontal areas.
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