White matter damage and systemic inflammation in Parkinson\u2019s disease

Pi-Ling Chiang,Cheng-Hsien Lu,Hsiu-Ling Chen,Meng-Hsiang Chen,Nai-Wen Tsai,Wei-Che Lin,Pei-Chin Chen,I.-Hsiao Yang

doi:10.1186/s12868-017-0367-y

Abstract

BackgroundSystemic inflammation and white matter (WM) alterations have been noted as effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study sought to evaluate WM integrity in PD patients using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and to assess its relationship with systemic inflammation.MethodsSixty-six patients with PD (23 men and 43 women) and 67 healthy volunteers (29 men and 38 women) underwent blood sampling to quantify inflammatory markers and DTI scans to determine fiber integrity. The inflammatory markers included leukocyte apoptosis, as well as cellular and serum adhesion molecules, in each peripheral blood sample. DTI-related indices [including fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), radial diffusivity (RD), and mean diffusivity (MD)] were derived from DTI scans. The resulting FA maps were compared using voxel-based statistics to determine differences between the PD and control groups. The differences in the DTI indices, clinical severity, and inflammatory markers were correlated.ResultsExploratory group-wise comparison between the two groups revealed that the PD patients exhibited extensive DTI index differences. Low FA accompanied by high RD and MD, without significant differences in AD, suggesting a demyelination process, were found in the parietal, occipital, cerebellar, and insular WM of the PD patients. The declined DTI indices were significantly correlated with increased clinical disease severity, adhesion molecules, and leukocyte apoptosis.ConclusionsPatients with PD experience WM integrity damage in vulnerable regions, and these impairments are associated with increased disease severity and systemic inflammation. The possible interactions among them may represent variant neuronal injuries and their consequent processes in PD.

Highlights

Systemic inflammation and white matter (WM) alterations have been noted as effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD)
Several peripheral blood leukocyte adhesion molecules have been reported as contributing to a connection between systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation in PD, including macrophage antigen complex-1 (Mac-1) [4], lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) [5], E-selectin [6], and P-selectin [7]
The leukocyte apoptosis, Mac1, LFA-1, and serum P-selectin values were significantly higher in the PD group than in the controls (P < 0.05)

Summary

Introduction

Systemic inflammation and white matter (WM) alterations have been noted as effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Several peripheral blood leukocyte adhesion molecules have been reported as contributing to a connection between systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation in PD, including macrophage antigen complex-1 (Mac-1) [4], lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) [5], E-selectin [6], and P-selectin [7]. These adhesion molecules contribute to traffic of Chiang et al BMC Neurosci (2017) 18:48 the activated T cells across the blood–brain barrier [8]. We wanted to obtain the microglial activation via MAC-1 [12], and to obtain the infiltration of peripheral immune cells via measuring the LFA-1 [13], leukocyte apoptosis [10] and selectin category of adhesion molecular

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Discussion

Conclusion