Objective: The aim of this study was to identify White Matter (WM) changes by comparing Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with and without anxiety, using diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI).
Background: Anxiety in PD has been associated with grey matter changes and functional changes in anxiety-related neuronal circuits. So far, no study has analyzed WM changes in patients with PD and anxiety.
Method: 108 non-demented PD patients with and without anxiety as defined by their score on the Parkinson Anxiety Scale participated. DTI was used to determine the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) in specific tracts within anxietyrelated neuronal circuits. Mean FA and MD were compared between groups and correlated with the severity of anxiety.
Results: Compared to patients without anxiety, PD patients with anxiety showed reduced FA within the caudate-thalamus, the accumbens-anterior cingulate cortex, the amygdala-accumbens and the putamen-orbitofrontal cortex tracts. FA was increased within the accumbens-insula and the accumbens-thalamus tracts. MD was reduced within the accumbens-insula tract.
Conclusion: Anxiety in PD is associated with microstructural alterations in anxietyrelated neuronal circuits within the WM. This result reinforces the view that PD-related anxiety is linked to structural alteration within the anxiety-related brain circuits.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
G. Carey, R. Viard, R. Lopes, G. Kuchcinski, L. Defebvre, A. Leentjens, K. Dujardin. Anxiety in Parkinson’s disease is associated with changes in brain structural connectivity [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2023; 38 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/anxiety-in-parkinsons-disease-is-associated-with-changes-in-brain-structural-connectivity/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2023 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/anxiety-in-parkinsons-disease-is-associated-with-changes-in-brain-structural-connectivity/