Clinical symptoms and neuroanatomical substrates of daytime sleepiness in Parkinson’s disease

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Clinical and neuroanatomical correlates of daytime sleepiness in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remain inconsistent in the literature. Two studies were conducted here. The first evaluated the interrelation between non-motor and motor symptoms, using a principal component analysis, associated with daytime sleepiness in PD. The second identified the neuroanatomical substrates associated with daytime sleepiness in PD using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the first study, 77 participants with PD completed an extensive clinical, cognitive testing and a polysomnographic recording. In the second study, 29 PD participants also underwent MRI acquisition of T1-weighted images. Vertex-based cortical and subcortical surface analysis, deformation-based morphometry, and voxel-based morphometry were performed to assess the association between daytime sleepiness severity and structural brain changes in participants. In both studies, the severity of daytime sleepiness and the presence of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS; total score >10) were measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale. We found that individuals with EDS had a higher score on a component including higher dosage of dopamine receptor agonists, motor symptoms severity, shorter sleep latency, and greater sleep efficiency. Moreover, increased daytime sleepiness severity was associated with a larger surface area in the right insula, contracted surfaces in the right putamen and right lateral amygdala, and a larger surface in the right posterior amygdala. Hence, daytime sleepiness in PD was associated with dopaminergic receptor agonists dosage, motor impairment, and objective sleep measures. Moreover, neuroanatomical changes in cortical and subcortical regions related to vigilance, motor, and emotional states were associated with more severe daytime sleepiness.