Structural Brain Alterations in Motor Subtypes of Parkinson's Disease: Evidence from Probabilistic Tractography and Shape Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

The postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD) and tremor dominant (TD) subtypes of Parkinson's disease (PD) show different patterns of alterations in functional connectivity (FC) between specific brain regions. This study aimed to investigate the relation between symptomatic heterogeneity in PD and structural alterations underlying these FC changes.

Methods

68 PD patients classified as PIGD (n = 41) or TD (n = 19) and 19 age-matched controls underwent Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Diffusion-weighted images were used to assess fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) at the whole-brain level using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). In addition, structural connectivity was assessed between regions that previously showed altered

SUBMITTER: Vervoort G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4912098 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature