Differences in Brain Volume in Parkinson's Disease Subtypes
Author Information
Author(s): Martin A., Nassif J., Chaluvadi L., Schammel C., Newman-Norlund R., Bollmann S., Absher J.
Primary Institution: University of South Carolina
Hypothesis
SMC volume will be smaller in PIGD than TD and SMC patterns in the TD/PIGD system will differ from those of the TD/AR system.
Conclusion
The study found that grey matter volume in the supplementary motor cortex varies between Parkinson's disease subtypes and differs by sex.
Supporting Evidence
- Neuroimaging biomarkers can differentiate PD subtypes and improve treatments.
- The supplementary motor cortex is related to PD symptomology like freezing of gait.
- SMC volume differs in females between the TD and PIGD subtypes.
- In PD vs HC men and women show differences in SMC volume across sex and subtypes.
- PD subtypes may need to be reevaluated to include sex and biomarkers.
Takeaway
This study looked at how the size of a part of the brain called the supplementary motor cortex is different in people with different types of Parkinson's disease, and it found that these differences can also depend on whether the person is male or female.
Methodology
Voxel-based processing was used to segment grey matter volume and extract region of interest values, with multi-factor ANCOVAs and Tukey Honest Significance Test for volumetric analyses.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to exclusion of subjects with indeterminate MDS-UPDRS scores.
Limitations
The study's data quality and measures could not be controlled, and the sample was predominantly white, limiting generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Mean age was 63.1 years, with 36.8% female and 63.2% male participants, predominantly white (96.3%).
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.01
Confidence Interval
[-0.481, -0.0696]
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Want to read the original?
Access the complete publication on the publisher's website