Objective: To investigate the role of motor cerebellar connectivity in future development of freezing of gait (FoG)

Background: Freezing of gait (FoG) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is increasingly being understood as a complex network disorder and there is growing evidence of the involvement of cerebellum in the pathogenesis of FoG in PD.

Method: We recruited 26 de novo patients with PD who developed FoG within 5 years from MRI acquisition (vulnerable FoG), 61 PD patients who had not developed FoG during follow-up period of more than 5 years (resistant FoG) and 27 healthy controls. We performed a comparative analysis of resting-state functional connectivity (FC) between the motor cerebellum and whole brain between the groups. In addition, we evaluated relationship between motor cerebellar connectivity and latency to develop FoG in PD patients.

Results: Patients who were vulnerable FoG had increased FC between the motor cerebellum and parieto-occipito-temporal association cortices compared to healthy control or patients who were resistant FoG. The connectivity between lobule VI and right superior parietal lobule, right fusiform gyrus, and left inferior temporal gyrus, between lobule VIIb and right superior parietal lobule, right hippocampus, and right middle temporal gyrus, and between lobule VIIIb and bilateral fusiform gyri, right middle occipital gyrus, and bilateral parietal lobes showed significant inverse relationships with the latency of FoG. The FoG latency-related cortical FC from the motor cerebellum was also significantly higher in patients who were vulnerable FoG compared to healthy control as well as patients who were resistant FoG.

Conclusion: These data suggest that the motor cerebellum and its FC with posterior cortical areas would play an important role in future development of FoG in patients with PD.

« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020

MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/motor-cerebellar-connectivity-and-future-development-of-freezing-of-gait-in-de-novo-parkinsons-disease/