Functional MRI in the assessment of cortical activation in subjects with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Purpose.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate cortical activation patterns in patients with Parkinson’s disease during a relatively complex motor task.

Materials and methods.

Seven patients (six men and one woman) with lateralised akinetic-rigid Parkinson’s disease underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain with a 1.5-T magnet. Finger tapping was chosen as a motor task. The control group included 11 volunteers (six men and five women) with no neurological disease.

Results.

Patients showed hyperactivity of the ipsilateral and contralateral motor cortex associated with bilateral over-activation of the parietal cortex during movement of the affected hand. In some cases, there was a lack of activation of the pre-motor and supplementary motor areas whereas, when present, activation in these areas was greater during movement of the healthy hand. Finally, activation of the occipital cortex was found in all patients as a result of their tendency to control movement visually.

Conclusions.

Results of this study confirm a re-organisation of cortical circuits due to subcortical damage in patient’s with Parkinson’s disease.