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Increased Cortical Thickness in Attentional Networks in Parkinson's Disease with Minor Hallucinations

Caspian M Sawczak1,2, Alexander J Barnett3,4, Melanie Cohn1,2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 3G3.

Parkinson'S Disease
|June 14, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Mild hallucinations in Parkinson's disease (PD) are linked to thicker cortex in attention networks. This finding in early-stage PD suggests an inverted U-shaped progression of brain changes, differing from later-stage studies.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroimaging
  • Neurology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Hallucinations are a frequent symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD).
  • Previous research suggests alterations in the dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), and default mode network are associated with PD hallucinations, often based on functional MRI data.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between cortical thickness in the DAN, VAN, and default mode network and mild hallucinations in early-stage Parkinson's disease patients using structural MRI data.
  • To compare cortical thickness in these networks between PD patients with and without mild hallucinations, and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized structural MRI data from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) cohort.
  • Examined cortical thickness in the DAN and VAN in three groups: PD patients with mild hallucinations (n=30), PD patients without hallucinations (n=30), and matched healthy controls (n=30).
  • Performed multivariate analyses to identify associations between cortical thickness and hallucinations, controlling for clinical variables.

Main Results:

  • Mild hallucinations in PD were associated with significantly thicker cortex in the dorsal attention network (DAN) and ventral attention network (VAN).
  • Specific regions driving these associations included the left superior precentral sulcus and postcentral sulcus within the DAN, and the right insular gyrus within the VAN.
  • These findings in early-stage PD contrast with studies showing grey matter reductions in later disease stages.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical thickness alterations in attention networks are linked to mild hallucinations in early Parkinson's disease.
  • The observed cortical thickening may represent an early stage of neurodegenerative changes, potentially following an inverted U-shaped pattern.
  • Longitudinal studies are needed to track brain changes and the progression of psychosis in Parkinson's disease.

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