Objective: To determine the correlation of BLA morphology and functional connectivity (FC) with severity of RBD.

Background: Idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is a common disorder that often emerges in the prodromal sign of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Its pathogenic mechanism remains unknown. The basolateral amygdala (BLA) may be involved in the pathogenesis of iRBD. However, little is known about BLA alterations in iRBD.

Method: We recruited 169 normal controls (NC), 85 patients with possible iRBD (piRBD) and 268 patients with PD. The symptomatic severity of RBD was quantified with the RBD questionnaire Hong Kong (RBDQ-HK) score. General sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were respectively assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and PD Sleep Scale were used to assess PD symptoms. All volunteers underwent structural and functional brain MRI to acquire volume and FC map of BLA. We compared the difference among groups and explored the association with clinic metrix.

Results: The BLA volume of piRBD group was lower than that of PD and NC group (p <0.001). The BLA volume was correlated with the RBDQ-HK score (p=0.015) and PSQI score (p=0.044). In the PD group, the BLA volume was correlated with the UPDRS-II (p=0.011) and UPDRS-III (p=0.013) score. PD-pRBD group showed increased BLA-cerebellum FC, and iRBD group showed decreased BLA-thalamus FC (p<0.05).

Conclusion: These results demonstrate a correlation between BLA alterations and severity of RBD, which may improve the understanding of pathogenesis of RBD and PD.

Workflow of Participants Recruitment and Exclusion

DBM Analysis and FC Analysis

Association between Clinical Metrics and BLA

Baseline BLA Volume and clinical progression.

Demographic and Clinical Data of Volunteers

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/morphology-and-functional-connectivity-of-the-basolateral-amygdala-and-rapid-eye-movement-sleep-behavior-disorder/