The neural correlates of apathy in the context of aging and brain disorders: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies

Abstract

IntroductionApathy is a prevalent mood disturbance that occurs in a wide range of populations, including those with normal cognitive aging, mental disorders, neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injuries. Recently, neuroimaging technologies have been employed to elucidate the neural substrates underlying brain disorders accompanying apathy. However, the consistent neural correlates of apathy across normal aging and brain disorders are still unclear.MethodsThis paper first provides a brief review of the neural mechanism of apathy in healthy elderly individuals, those with mental disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and traumatic brain injuries. Further, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the structural and functional neuroimaging meta-analysis using activation likelihood estimation method is performed on the apathy group with brain disorders and the healthy elderly, aiming at exploring the neural correlates of apathy.ResultsThe structural neuroimaging meta-analysis showed that gray matter atrophy is associated with apathy in the bilateral precentral gyrus (BA 13/6), bilateral insula (BA 47), bilateral medial frontal gyrus (BA 11), bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left caudate (putamen) and right anterior cingulate, while the functional neuroimaging meta-analysis suggested that the functional connectivity in putamen and lateral globus pallidus is correlated with apathy.DiscussionThrough the neuroimaging meta-analysis, this study has identified the potential neural locations of apathy in terms of brain structure and function, which may offer valuable pathophysiological insights for developing more effective therapeutic interventions for affected patients.

Functional changes of default mode network and structural alterations of gray matter in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a meta-analysis of whole-brain studies

“…To conduct FC and VBM meta-analyses, a systematic literature search was performed according to the standard preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) procedure ( Moher et al, 2009 ; Wu et al, 2020 ; Yan et al, 2023 ). We searched in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database (WF) and Scoups for published research up to August 12, 2023.…”

Progress in Pharmacologic Management of Neuropsychiatric Syndromes in Neurodegenerative Disorders

“…Apathy in AD has been linked to frontal lobe neurofibrillary tangle burden and, less consistently, with amyloid plaque deposition on amyloid positron emission tomography. 74 There are no approved treatments for apathy in NDDs. Moderate-quality evidence supports psychosocial interventions for apathy in NDDs, with music and physical activity showing the most consistent results.…”

“…Dysfunction of frontal-subcortical circuits is the common correlate of apathy in NDDs . Patients with apathy have reductions in gray matter in the medial frontal and prefrontal cortices and reduced white matter and greater white matter hyperintensities in the frontal lobes . Patients with both AD and apathy exhibit lower metabolic activity with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the anterior cingulate and medial orbitofrontal regions bilaterally compared with patients with AD dementia without apathy.…”

“…Patients with both AD and apathy exhibit lower metabolic activity with 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography in the anterior cingulate and medial orbitofrontal regions bilaterally compared with patients with AD dementia without apathy. Apathy in AD has been linked to frontal lobe neurofibrillary tangle burden and, less consistently, with amyloid plaque deposition on amyloid positron emission tomography …”

Functional Activity, Functional Connectivity and Complex Network Biomarkers of Progressive Hyposmia Parkinson’s Disease with No Cognitive Impairment: Evidences from Resting-state fMRI Study

“…The topic of motor symptoms, including tremor, rigidity, and slowness, is often crucial and cannot be overlooked. In addition to the motor features, there are also many non-motor features, such as olfactory dysfunction, cognitive decline, sleep disorders, depression and apathy [11,12]. Olfactory abnormalities usually appear before motor symptoms, known as “prodromal” symptoms, which means that changes in the olfactory pathway may be the earliest pathological changes in PD [13].…”