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Gray matter correlations of cognition in incident Parkinson's disease

Turi O Dalaker1, Robert Zivadinov, Jan P Larsen

  • 1Department of Neurology, Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA. datu@sus.no

Movement Disorders : Official Journal of the Movement Disorder Society
|March 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) does not appear to be linked to gray matter atrophy. This study found no significant gray matter loss or correlations with cognitive function in newly diagnosed PD patients.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

  • Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder.
  • Cognitive impairment is a common non-motor symptom in PD.
  • The underlying neuropathology of cognitive impairment in PD is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate region-specific gray matter (GM) atrophy in Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
  • To explore the relationship between GM volume and cognitive function in PD.
  • To determine if GM atrophy is a key feature of cognitive dysfunction in early PD.

Main Methods:

  • Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
  • Comparison of GM volume between 42 newly diagnosed PD patients (11 with MCI) and 37 healthy controls.
  • Correlation analysis between cognitive test performance and GM volume in PD patients.

Main Results:

  • No significant regional gray matter atrophy was detected when comparing PD patients with MCI to controls.
  • No significant correlations were found between cognitive domain performance and gray matter loss within the PD patient group.
  • Gray matter atrophy does not appear to be a primary characteristic of cognitive dysfunction in incident Parkinson's disease.

Conclusions:

  • Gray matter atrophy is not a significant feature of mild cognitive impairment in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.
  • Cognitive dysfunction in incident PD may stem from factors other than widespread gray matter loss.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the neurobiological basis of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

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