Category: Parkinson's Disease: Neuroimaging
Objective: The aim of this research was to investigate alterations in functional brain networks in PD patients with depression (DPD) and their association with demographic and clinical characteristics.
Background: Depression is one of the established clinical prodromal markers of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and the pathophysiology remains unclear. The aim of this research was to investigate alterations in functional brain networks in PD patients with depression (DPD) and their association with demographic and clinical characteristics.
Method: Twenty-two DPD patients, 23 PD patients without depression (NDPD) and 25 matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. All participants were examined by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. Graph theoretical analysis and network-based statistical analysis (NBS) methods were used to analyze brain network topological properties and examine abnormal subnetworks, respectively.
Results: All three groups showed the “small-world” attribute in the functional network. At the node and connection level, DPD patients had focal lesions in the prefrontal, temporal and occipital regions. Functional connectivity disruptions between the prefrontal cortex, limbic system, temporal and parietal lobe, and abnormal enhancements between the occipital region with the prefrontal lobe and cingulate gyrus differentiated DPD from NDPD groups. The brain regions with abnormal topological properties and functional connections were mostly located in the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN) and salience network (SN), as well as the audiovisual pathways.
Conclusion: The abnormal function and integrity in the DMN, CEN and SN might be a key pathophysiological basis for DPD. Meanwhile, brain regions in the audiovisual pathways might play a key role in the functional integration of brain networks in DPD, in which abnormalities lead to the occurrence and development of DPD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Y. Qiu, L. Wang. Alterations in functional networks contribute to depression in Parkinson’s disease: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2020; 35 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/alterations-in-functional-networks-contribute-to-depression-in-parkinsons-disease-a-resting-state-functional-magnetic-resonance-imaging-study/. Accessed May 18, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/alterations-in-functional-networks-contribute-to-depression-in-parkinsons-disease-a-resting-state-functional-magnetic-resonance-imaging-study/