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Identification of Disease-related Spatial Covariance Patterns using Neuroimaging Data
Published on: June 26, 2013
Do multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease show distinct patterns of volumetric alterations across
Na Wang1,2, Liang Zhang3, HuaGuang Yang2
1Department of Radiology, Huashan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Objectives:
To investigate the volumetric alterations of hippocampal subfields and identify which subfields contribute to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
Methods:
Thirty MSA-MCI, 26 PD-MCI, and 30 healthy controls were administered cognitive assessment, along with hippocampal segmentation using FreeSurfer 6.0 after a 3-T MRI scan. Regression analyses were performed between the volumes of hippocampal subfields and cognitive variables.
Results:
Compared with healthy controls, the volume of the hippocampal fissure was enlarged in PD-MCI patients, while left Cornu Ammonis (CA2-CA3), bilateral molecular layer, bilateral hippocampus-amygdala transition area, right subiculum, right CA1, right presubiculum, right parasubiculum, and bilateral whole hippocampus were reduced in the MSA-MCI group. Moreover, volumetric reductions of the bilateral hippocampal tail, bilateral CA1, bilateral presubiculum, bilateral molecular layer, left CA2-CA3, left hippocampus-amygdala transition area, right parasubiculum, and bilateral whole hippocampus were found in MSA-MCI relative to the PD-MCI group. The volumes of the left CA2-CA3 (B = - 11.34, p = 0.006) and left parasubiculum (B = 4.63, p = 0.01) were respectively correlated with language and abstraction functions. The volumes of the left fimbria (B = 6.99, p = 0.002) and left hippocampus-amygdala transition area (B = 2.28, p = 0.009) were correlated with visuospatial/executive function.
Conclusions:
The MSA-MCI patients showed more widespread impairment of hippocampal subfields compared with the PD-MCI group, involving trisynaptic loop and amygdala-hippocampus interactions. The alteration of CA, hippocampus-amygdala transition area, and fimbria still requires further comparison between the two patient groups.
Key Points:
• The atrophy patterns of hippocampal subfields differed between MSA and PD patients. • MSA has widespread change in trisynaptic loop and amygdala-hippocampus interactions. • The atrophy patterns may help to understand the differences of cognitive impairment in MSA and PD.
Insights
Multiple system atrophy with mild cognitive impairment (MSA-MCI) shows more widespread hippocampal subfield atrophy than Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI). These distinct patterns in the trisynaptic loop and amygdala-hippocampus interactions may explain cognitive differences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neurology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
Background:
- Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) presents differently in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's disease (PD).
- Understanding hippocampal subfield alterations is crucial for differentiating MCI subtypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate volumetric changes in hippocampal subfields in patients with MSA with MCI (MSA-MCI) and PD with MCI (PD-MCI).
- To identify specific hippocampal subfields contributing to cognitive deficits in these conditions.
Main Methods:
- 3-T MRI scans and FreeSurfer 6.0 segmentation were used for hippocampal subfield analysis.
- Cognitive assessments were performed on 30 MSA-MCI, 26 PD-MCI patients, and 30 healthy controls.
- Regression analyses correlated hippocampal subfield volumes with cognitive variables.
Main Results:
- MSA-MCI patients exhibited reduced volumes in multiple hippocampal subfields, including the Cornu Ammonis (CA2-CA3), molecular layer, and hippocampus-amygdala transition area, compared to healthy controls and PD-MCI patients.
- PD-MCI patients showed an enlarged hippocampal fissure volume compared to controls.
- Specific subfield volumes, such as the left CA2-CA3 and left parasubiculum, correlated with language and abstraction, while the left fimbria and hippocampus-amygdala transition area correlated with visuospatial/executive functions.
Conclusions:
- MSA-MCI is characterized by more extensive hippocampal subfield atrophy than PD-MCI, affecting the trisynaptic loop and amygdala-hippocampus interactions.
- Observed atrophy patterns in hippocampal subfields may underlie the distinct cognitive impairments seen in MSA and PD.
- Further research is needed to compare alterations in the CA, hippocampus-amygdala transition area, and fimbria between MSA-MCI and PD-MCI.
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