Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
BackgroundAutonomic dysfunction (AD) is one of the non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Some symptoms tend to occur in the early stages of PD. AD also has a great impact on patient’s quality of life. In this study, we aimed to discover the association between AD (Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease-Autonomic, SCOPA-AUT) and microstructural changes in white matter tracts in drug-naïve early PD patients to elucidate the central effects of autonomic nervous system impairments.MethodIn total, this study included 85 subjects with PD recruited from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. Among the 85 PD patients, 38 were in Hoehn & Yahr stage 1 (HY1PD) and 47 were in stage 2 (HY2PD). Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (DMRI) data were reconstructed in the MNI space using q-space diffeomorphic reconstruction to obtain the spin distribution function. The spin distribution function (SDF) values were used in DMRI connectometry analysis. We investigated through diffusion MRI connectometry the structural correlates of white matter tracts with SCOPA-AUT subscores and total score.ResultsConnectometry analysis also revealed positive association with white matter density in bilateral corticospinal tract in HY1PD patients and negative association in genu of corpus callosum (CC) and, bilateral cingulum in both groups. In addition, there were associations between gastrointestinal, sexual, thermoregulatory and urinary items and structural brain connectivity in PD.ConclusionOur study reveals positive correlation, suggesting neural compensations in early PD. Cingulum and CC tracts have well-known roles in PD pathology, compatible with our findings that bring new insights to specific areas of AD and its role in central nervous system (CNS) neurodegeneration, paving the way for using prodromal makers in the diagnosis and treatment of PD.
Highlights
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons mainly in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), diagnosed clinically on the basis of cardinal motor features such as resting tremor, How to cite this article Ashraf-Ganjouei et al (2018), Autonomic dysfunction and white matter microstructural changes in drug-naïve patients with Parkinson’s disease
Among the 85 PD patients, 38 patients were in Hoehn & Yahr stage 1 (HY1PD) and 47 patients were in stage 2 (HY2PD)
Results from multiple regression models in Diffusion MRI connectometry revealed areas where white matter quantitative anisotropy (QA) was correlated with SCOPA-AUT score in each group after adjustment for age, sex, geriatric depression scale (GDS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores, number of relatives with PD and UPDRSIII
Summary
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons mainly in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), diagnosed clinically on the basis of cardinal motor features such as resting tremor, How to cite this article Ashraf-Ganjouei et al (2018), Autonomic dysfunction and white matter microstructural changes in drug-naïve patients with Parkinson’s disease. Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease-Autonomic (SCOPA-AUT) is the most widely used questionnaire, created by Visser et al (2004) in 2004 for assessment of dysfunctions associated with the autonomic nervous system in PD patients. SCOPA-AUT contains 25 questions assessing autonomic clinical symptoms in six categories including gastrointestinal (7 items), urinary (6 items), cardiovascular (3 items), thermoregulatory (4 items), pupillomotor (1 item) and sexual function (3 items for men and 2 items for women) (Visser et al, 2004). We aimed to discover the association between AD (Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson’s disease-Autonomic, SCOPA-AUT) and microstructural changes in white matter tracts in drug-naïve early PD patients to elucidate the central effects of autonomic nervous system impairments. Cingulum and CC tracts have well-known roles in PD pathology, compatible with our findings that bring new insights to specific areas of AD and its role in central nervous system (CNS) neurodegeneration, paving the way for using prodromal makers in the diagnosis and treatment of PD
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
