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Neuroanatomical changes in early Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment: a VBM study; the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Impairment Study (PaCoS)

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Abstract

Introduction

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is common in Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the underlying pathological mechanism has not been fully understood. Voxel-based morphometry could be used to evaluate regional atrophy and its relationship with cognitive performances in early PD-MCI.

Patients and Methods

One hundred and six patients with PD were recruited from a larger cohort of patients, the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Impairment Study (PaCoS). Subject underwent a T1-3D MRI and a complete clinical and neuropsychological evaluation. Patients were divided into PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) and PD-MCI according to the MDS level II criteria–modified for PD-MCI. A subgroup of early patients with short disease duration (≤ 2 years) was also identified. VBM analysis between PD-NC and PD-MCI and between early PD-NC and PD-MCI was performed using two-sample t tests with whole-brain statistical threshold of p < 0.001 uncorrected in the entire PD group and p < 0.05 FWE inside ROIs, in the early PD.

Results

Forty patients were diagnosed with MCI and 66 were PD-NC. PD-MCI patients showed significant gray matter (GM) reduction in several brain regions, including frontal gyrus, precuneus, angular gyrus, temporal lobe, and cerebellum. Early PD-MCI showed reduction in GM density in superior frontal gyrus and cerebellum. Moreover, correlation analysis between neuropsychological performances and GM volume of early PD-MCI patients showed associations between performances of Raven and superior frontal gyrus volume, Stroop time and inferior frontal gyrus volume, accuracy of Barrage and volume of precuneus.

Conclusion

The detection of frontal and cerebellar atrophy, even at an early stage, could be used as an early marker of PD-related cognitive impairment.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia,” University of Catania, Italy (Piano Triennale di Sviluppo delle Attività di Ricerca Scientifica del Dipartimento 2016-18).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical and Medical Sciences Advanced Technologies “G.F. Ingrassia”, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, Catania, 95123, Italy

    Giulia Donzuso, Calogero E. Cicero, Antonina Luca, Giovanni Mostile, Loretta Giuliano, Mario Zappia & Alessandra Nicoletti

  2. Department of Experimental Biomedicine and Clinical Neuroscience (BioNeC), University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Roberto Monastero, Roberta Baschi & Maria Caccamo

  3. Department of Biopathology and Medical Biotechnologies, Section of Radiological Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

    Cesare Gagliardo

  4. Radiodiagnostic and Radiotherapy Unit, University Hospital “Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele”, Catania, Italy

    Stefano Palmucci

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  1. Giulia Donzuso
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Correspondence to Alessandra Nicoletti.

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Donzuso, G., Monastero, R., Cicero, C.E. et al. Neuroanatomical changes in early Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment: a VBM study; the Parkinson’s Disease Cognitive Impairment Study (PaCoS). Neurol Sci 42, 3723–3731 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-05034-9

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