Brain gray matter abnormalities in progressive supranuclear palsy revisited

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Neurology
• Neurodegeneration

Background:

• Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies on progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) report inconsistent gray matter (GM) abnormalities.
• Understanding the precise neuroanatomical changes in PSP is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify consistent patterns of GM anomalies in PSP using a coordinate-based meta-analytic approach.
• To explore potential confounding factors contributing to heterogeneity in VBM studies of PSP.

Main Methods:

• A coordinate-based meta-analysis using Seed-based d Mapping was performed.
• Included 18 VBM studies with 284 PSP patients and 367 healthy controls.
• Analyzed data from published VBM studies on PSP.

Main Results:

• Significant GM reductions were observed in PSP patients compared to controls.
• Affected regions include frontal cortices, insula, striatum, thalamus, midbrain, and cerebellum.
• Identified a specific neuroanatomical pattern of GM atrophy in PSP.

Conclusions:

• PSP is characterized by widespread cortical-subcortical GM atrophy.
• This pattern correlates with key PSP clinical features like gaze palsy and motor deficits.
• Future research should account for confounding factors to reduce heterogeneity.