Altered Functional Network Associated With Cognitive Performance in Early Parkinson Disease Measured by Eigenvector...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Early Parkinson's disease (PD) is often accompanied by cognitive impairments.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of these deficits is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the relationship between whole-brain functional connectivity and cognitive performance in early PD.
• To identify specific brain regions associated with cognitive deficits in PD.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) data from 84 early PD patients (Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative cohort).
• Neuropsychological assessments evaluating various cognitive functions.
• Eigenvector centrality (EC) mapping to analyze whole-brain functional connectivity.

Main Results:

• Positive correlation found between Letter Number Sequencing (LNS) scores and EC in the left inferior occipital gyrus (IOG) and lingual gyrus.
• Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R) immediate recall scores positively correlated with EC in the left superior frontal gyrus.
• No significant correlations observed between EC and other cognitive performance measures.

Conclusions:

• Functional alterations in the left occipital lobe (IOG and lingual gyrus) are associated with working memory performance in early PD.
• Changes in the left superior frontal gyrus functional connectivity may underlie immediate recall deficits in early PD.
• These findings contribute to understanding the mechanisms of cognitive impairment in early Parkinson's disease.