Substantia nigra hyperechogenicity in depressive subjects relates to motor asymmetry and impaired word fluency

Hoeppner, Jacqueline; Prudente-Morrissey, Lara; Herpertz, Sabine C.; Walter, Uwe

doi:10.1007/s00406-008-0840-9

Cited by 41 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Therefore, the co-occurrence of SN hyperechogenicity and raphe hypoechogencity in subjects with depression or with very mild motor slowing could indicate a subgroup at risk for the development of PD. This hypothesis is supported by the findings i) that the combined occurrence of SN hyperechogenicity and raphe hypoechogenicity in PD patients was associated with history of depression prior to PD onset [24], and ii) that this combined TCS abnormality in depressed subjects was related to mild motor asymmetry suggestive of early stages of PD [42]. According to current data and observations, it seems very likely that raphe hypoechogenicity is not only useful for the differential and early diagnosis of depression, but may, especially if combined with SN hyperechogenicity, also help to delineate a subgroup at risk for PD.…”

Section: Tcs Findings Related To Depression In Pdmentioning

confidence: 62%

Transcranial sonography findings related to non-motor features of Parkinson's disease

Walter

Školoudík

Berg

2010

Journal of the Neurological Sciences

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Section: Tcs Findings Related To Depression In Pdmentioning

confidence: 62%

Transcranial sonography findings related to non-motor features of Parkinson's disease

Walter

Školoudík

Berg

2010

Journal of the Neurological Sciences

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“…SN hyperechogenicity, known to be present in about 9% of the healthy population, is associated with subclinical impairment of nigrostriatal dopaminergic function and is thought to represent a risk marker of Parkinson's disease [8] . SN hyperechogenicity in non-parkinsonian subjects correlated with mild motor asymmetry [20,21] . This correlation was most pronounced in motor tasks demanding highly repetitive finger movements [21] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SN hyperechogenicity in non-parkinsonian subjects correlated with mild motor asymmetry [20,21] . This correlation was most pronounced in motor tasks demanding highly repetitive finger movements [21] . Therefore, one may speculate that a dysfunction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system might contribute to motor impairment in some musicians with manifestation of task-specific dystonia when performing highly repetitive finger movements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sonographic Alteration of Lenticular Nucleus in Focal Task-Specific Dystonia of Musicians

Walter¹,

Buttkus²,

Großmann

et al. 2011

Neurodegener Dis

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Background/Aims: In distinct movement disorders, transcranial sonography detects alterations of deep brain structures with higher sensitivity than other neuroimaging methods. Lenticular nucleus hyperechogenicity on transcranial sonography, thought to be caused by increased local copper content, has been reported as a characteristic finding in primary spontaneous dystonia. Here, we wanted to find out whether deep brain structures are altered in task-specific dystonia. Methods: The frequency of sonographic brainstem and basal ganglia changes was studied in an investigator-blinded setting in 15 musicians with focal task-specific hand dystonia, 15 musicians without dystonia, and 15 age- and sex-matched nonmusicians without dystonia. Results: Lenticular nucleus hyperechogenicity was found in 12 musicians with task-specific dystonia, but only in 3 nondystonic musicians (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.001) and 2 nonmusicians (p < 0.001). The degree of lenticular nucleus hyperechogenicity in affected musicians correlated with age, but not with duration of music practice or duration of dystonia. In 2 of 3 affected musicians with normal echogenic lenticular nucleus, substantia nigra hyperechogenicity was found. Conclusions: Our findings support the idea of a pathogenetic link between primary spontaneous and task-specific dystonia. Sonographic basal ganglia alteration might indicate a risk factor that in combination with extensive fine motor training promotes the manifestation of task-specific dystonia.

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“…According to these studies, subjects with SN hyperechogenicity but without the clinical picture of PD may show more often premotor symptoms, like (1) olfactory dysfunction [5,50] , (2) depression [51] , (3) specific neuropsychological deficits like visuospatial processing and sequential planning, known to be primarily affected in PD [52] , (4) unilateral motor slowing when performing demanding motor tasks [45,51] , and (5) REM sleep behavior disorder [53,54] than healthy subjects without this ultrasound signal.…”

Section: Indices For the Value Of Tcs In The Premotor Diagnosis Of Pdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Place Value of Transcranial Sonography in Early Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease

Berg

Gaenslen²

2010

Neurodegener Dis

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Transcranial B-mode sonography (TCS) is a relatively new method which has been proven to be helpful in the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Due to the underlying physical principles, supplementary information to other neuroimaging methods can be derived. Substantia nigra (SN) hyperechogenicity is the characteristic feature of idiopathic PD, which can help in the differentiation of atypical parkinsonian syndromes like multiple system atrophy or progressive supranuclear palsy. Besides, the quick ‘look into the brain’ can easily visualize an enlargement of the ventricular system, alterations of the basal ganglia like increased contents of calcium or trace metals, or a missing brain stem raphe, typically seen in depressive disorders, and can therefore give further diagnostic hints for symptomatic parkinsonian syndromes. Many studies indicate that SN hyperechogenicity constitutes a stable marker, irrespective of the disease stage. In a prospective study of patients with very first signs of yet unclear parkinsonism, a high predictive value of TCS for the diagnosis of PD could be proven. Moreover, there is accumulating evidence that SN hyperechogenicity could play a role in the premotor diagnosis of PD. In this review, the additional diagnostic value of TCS in the early diagnosis of PD as well as limitations of the method are being discussed.

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Substantia nigra hyperechogenicity in depressive subjects relates to motor asymmetry and impaired word fluency

Abstract: Data suggest that TCS detects a subgroup of patients with depression characterized by symptoms of early parkinsonism who are possibly at an elevated risk of later developing definite PD.

Cited by 41 publications

References 41 publications

Transcranial sonography findings related to non-motor features of Parkinson's disease

Transcranial sonography findings related to non-motor features of Parkinson's disease

Sonographic Alteration of Lenticular Nucleus in Focal Task-Specific Dystonia of Musicians

Place Value of Transcranial Sonography in Early Diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease

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