Katharina M Kubera1, Mike M Schmitgen2, Simon Nagel3, Klaus Hess3, Christian Herweh4, Dusan Hirjak5, Fabio Sambataro6, Robert Christian Wolf2. 1. Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany. Electronic address: katharina.kubera@med.uni-heidelberg.de. 2. Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General Psychiatry, University of Heidelberg, Germany. 3. Department of Neurology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. 4. Department of Neuroradiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany. 5. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany. 6. Department of Neuroscience (DNS), University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Impulsivity is an enduring personality trait that is highly relevant for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Although impulse control disorders (ICD) are well-characterized non-motor features in Parkinson's disease (PD), mainly related to medication, little is known about neural correlates reflecting trait aspects of impulsivity in PD patients. Here, we address the question whether motor, attentional and non-planning components, measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), are distinctly related to cortical thickness and cortical folding abnormalities in PD when compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC). METHOD: We investigated cortical thickness (CT) and complexity of cortical folding (CCF) in 22 PD patients with moderately advanced disease stages without ICD and 18 HC using high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Surface-based data analysis was driven by CAT12 toolbox. RESULTS: PD patients showed widespread CT loss in frontal, cingulate, temporo-parietal and occipital regions (FDR corrected at p < 0.05 using threshold-free cluster enhancement). Significant differences in CCF between groups were not found. Using a multiple regression model, CT in inferior and superior frontal, anterior cingulate and precentral regions significantly predicted BIS attentional subscores (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: These data suggest a specific cortical trajectory associated with impulsivity in moderately advanced staged PD patients. The attentional dimension of trait impulsivity appears to be specifically related to CT, in contrast to alterations of early neurodevelopmental markers, i. e. CCF. Our results shed light on structural correlates of trait impulsivity in PD patients and establish a baseline for future research into neural risk factors potentially predisposing to ICD development.
BACKGROUND:Impulsivity is an enduring personality trait that is highly relevant for the development of neuropsychiatric disorders. Although impulse control disorders (ICD) are well-characterized non-motor features in Parkinson's disease (PD), mainly related to medication, little is known about neural correlates reflecting trait aspects of impulsivity in PDpatients. Here, we address the question whether motor, attentional and non-planning components, measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), are distinctly related to cortical thickness and cortical folding abnormalities in PD when compared to age-matched healthy controls (HC). METHOD: We investigated cortical thickness (CT) and complexity of cortical folding (CCF) in 22 PDpatients with moderately advanced disease stages without ICD and 18 HC using high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Surface-based data analysis was driven by CAT12 toolbox. RESULTS:PDpatients showed widespread CT loss in frontal, cingulate, temporo-parietal and occipital regions (FDR corrected at p < 0.05 using threshold-free cluster enhancement). Significant differences in CCF between groups were not found. Using a multiple regression model, CT in inferior and superior frontal, anterior cingulate and precentral regions significantly predicted BIS attentional subscores (p = 0.041). CONCLUSION: These data suggest a specific cortical trajectory associated with impulsivity in moderately advanced staged PDpatients. The attentional dimension of trait impulsivity appears to be specifically related to CT, in contrast to alterations of early neurodevelopmental markers, i. e. CCF. Our results shed light on structural correlates of trait impulsivity in PDpatients and establish a baseline for future research into neural risk factors potentially predisposing to ICD development.
Authors: Megan A Aumann; Adam J Stark; Shelby B Hughes; Ya-Chen Lin; Hakmook Kang; Elise Bradley; David H Zald; Daniel O Claassen Journal: Ann Clin Transl Neurol Date: 2020-03-29 Impact factor: 4.511