Category: Parkinson's Disease: Neuroimaging
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the alterations of thalamic nuclei volumes and intrinsic thalamic network in patients with de-novo PD according to motor subtype.
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is commonly classified into tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD) subtype according to predominant motor symptom. Despite distinct clinical features and different prognosis between two subtypes, pathomechanism of motor subtype is not well understood. Lots of studies suggest that thalamus is much contributed to symptoms in PD especially tremor. Volumetric analysis in brain MRI has been introduced in evaluating intrinsic network in many neurological disease.
Method: We enrolled 64 patients with de-novo PD and 20 healthy controls (44 patients with TD subtype and 20 patients with PIGD subtype). All of the subjects underwent 3D T1-weighted imaging and FreeSurfer program were used for segmented thalamic nuclei. We compared volume changes of individual thalamic nuclei as per motor subtype compared to control and analyzed the alterations of intrinsic thalamic network based on volumes.
Results: There were significant differences of volume changes in individual thalamic nuclei according to motor subtype. In the patients with TD subtype, right and left suprageniculate nuclei volumes were significantly increased, whereas left parafascicular nucleus volume was decreased. In the patients with PIGD subtype, right and left suprageniculate nuclei and right ventromedial nucleus volumes were significantly increased, whereas right and left parafascicular nuclei volumes were decreased. There were also significant differences in alterations of intrinsic thalamic network according to predominant symptoms. The patients with PIGD subtype, the global efficiency and local efficiency were significantly increased compared to healthy controls, whereas patients with TD subtype did not show differences.
Conclusion: We found that the alterations of thalamic nuclei volumes and intrinsic thalamic network in patients with PD were different according to motor subtype. These findings might be related with underlying pathogenesis of motor subtype suggesting heterogenicity of PD.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
J. Park, H.T Kim. Thalamic nuclei volumes and intrinsic thalamic network in motor subtype in Parkinson’s disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2020; 35 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/thalamic-nuclei-volumes-and-intrinsic-thalamic-network-in-motor-subtype-in-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to MDS Virtual Congress 2020
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/thalamic-nuclei-volumes-and-intrinsic-thalamic-network-in-motor-subtype-in-parkinsons-disease/