Cortico‐striatal functional connectivity and cerebral small vessel disease: Contribution to mild Parkinsonian signs

Abstract

Background and Purpose Mild Parkinsonian signs (MPS) are common in older adults. We hypothesized that MPS are associated with lower functional connectivity (FC) in dopamine‐dependent cortico‐striatal networks, and these associations vary with white matter hyperintensity (WMH), a risk factor for MPS. Methods We examined resting‐state functional MRI in 266 participants (mean age 83; 57% female; 41% African American) with data on MPS (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale), demographics, cognition, muscle‐skeletal, and cardiometabolic health. FC between cortex and striatum was examined separately for sensorimotor, executive, and limbic functional subregions. Logistic regression tested the association of FC in each network with MPS, adjusted for covariates. Interactions of FC by WMH were tested; and analyses were repeated stratified by WMH above/below the median. Results Compared to those without MPS, those with MPS had lower cortico‐striatal FC in the left executive network (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval], p‐value: 0.188 [0.043, 0.824], .027). The interaction with WMH was p = .064; left executive FC was inversely associated with MPS for high WMH (0.077 [0.010, 0.599], .014) but not low WMH participants (1.245 [0.128, 12.132], .850). Conclusions MPS appear related to lower executive network FC, robust to adjustment for other risk factors, and stronger for those with higher burden of WMH. Future longitudinal studies should examine the interplay between cerebral small vessel disease and connectivity influencing MPS.

Insidious Attentional Deficits in Patients With Cerebral Small Vessel Disease Revealed by Attention Network Test

“…These available publications provide valuable hints for result interpretations regarding CSVD. Corroborating our finding, a recent neuroimaging study revealed that participants with higher burden of WMHs were inclined to develop mild Parkinsonian signs, followed by reduced functional connectivity of cortico-striatal executive networks, which were dopamine-dependent ( 45 ). Considering heterogeneity of CSVD imaging, the mechanisms contributing to dysregulation of executive control function deserve full elucidation.…”

Fatigue and perceived energy in a sample of older adults over 10 years: A resting state functional connectivity study of neural correlates

“…We focused specifically on cortico-striatal functional connectivity in the sensorimotor, executive, and limbic cortico-striatal networks. Because of these networks’ role in neurological diseases (for example, Parkinson’s Disease, Mild Parkinsonian Signs, and Huntington’s Disease) ( Hengenius et al, 2022 ; Veldman and Yang, 2018 ; Tessitore et al, 2016b ; O’Callaghan et al, 2014 ) and in fatigue, motivation, and cognitive function ( Haber, 2016 ; Shepherd, 2013 ), we investigated the associations between each network with fatigue and SEL.…”

Dysfunction of the triple-network model is associated with cognitive impairment in patients with cerebral small vessel disease

“…Functional MRI (fMRI) technology has received great attention and has become an important tool for reflecting functional change of cerebral intrinsic networks associated with the cognitive impairment in neurological diseases [ 12 , 13 ]. Recent fMRI studies have investigated the functional alterations in CSVD with a focus on some core brain regions, including the three major regulatory networks: the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN) [ [14] , [15] , [16] ]. These networks are sets of brain regions that show synchronized activity at rest or during task performance, and reflect distinct cognitive processes or mental states [ 17 , 18 ].…”