Pedunculopontine Nucleus Dysconnectivity Correlates With Gait Impairment in Parkinson's Disease: An Exploratory Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gait impairment is a debilitating and progressive feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). Increasing evidence suggests that gait control is partly mediated by cholinergic signaling from the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN).

Objective

We investigated whether PPN structural connectivity correlated with quantitative gait measures in PD.

Methods

Twenty PD patients and 15 controls underwent diffusion tensor imaging to quantify structural connectivity of the PPN. Whole brain analysis using tract-based spatial statistics and probabilistic tractography were performed using the PPN as a seed region of interest for cortical and subcortical target structures. Gait metrics were recorded in subjects' medication ON and OFF states, and were used to determine if specific featur

SUBMITTER: Joza S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9304714 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature