Cingulum and Uncinate Fasciculus Microstructural Abnormalities in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review of...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Radiology
• Neurology

Background:

• Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is crucial for assessing white matter (WM) microstructure in neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson disease (PD).
• The uncinate fasciculus and cingulum bundle are implicated in PD pathogenesis, with alterations correlating to disease stage and symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide structural insights into heterogeneous PD subtypes based on cingulate bundle and uncinate fasciculus changes.
• To examine correlations between structural brain changes and cognitive impairment or depression scales (e.g., Geriatric Depression Scale-Short).

Main Methods:

• A systematic review using PRISMA 2022 guidelines, searching PubMed and Scopus.
• Screening 759 articles, with 62 selected for full-text review and synthesis.
• Analysis of white matter integrity using DTI metrics like fractional anisotropy (FA).

Main Results:

• Significant reductions in fractional anisotropy (FA) were observed in the cingulum bundle of PD patients compared to controls.
• Significant correlations were found between FA values in the uncinate fasciculus and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short (GDS) scores.
• Structural damage in these white matter tracts may link to cognitive impairments in advanced PD.

Conclusions:

• DTI reveals distinct white matter alterations in PD, offering insights into disease heterogeneity.
• Structural changes in the uncinate fasciculus and cingulum bundle are associated with PD progression and cognitive decline.
• DTI provides valuable diagnostic and monitoring information for white matter tracts in Parkinson disease.