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. 2020 Aug 13:12:250.
doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.00250. eCollection 2020.

Distinct Relationship Between Cognitive Flexibility and White Matter Integrity in Individuals at Risk of Parkinson's Disease

Haidar Alzaid  1 , Thomas Ethofer  1   2 , Markus A Hobert  3 , Bernd Kardatzki  1 , Michael Erb  1 , Walter Maetzler  3 , Daniela Berg  3
Affiliations

Distinct Relationship Between Cognitive Flexibility and White Matter Integrity in Individuals at Risk of Parkinson's Disease

Haidar Alzaid et al. Front Aging Neurosci. .

Abstract

Background and objective: Executive dysfunction is the most common cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD), occurring even in its early stages. In our study, we applied diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate white matter integrity and its association with a specific executive function such as cognitive flexibility in individuals with risk factors for PD.

Methods: We examined 50 individuals with risk factors for developing PD and 24 healthy controls from the TREND (Tübinger Evaluation of Risk Factors for Early Detection of Neurodegeneration) study including neuropsychological evaluation and DTI. Cognitive flexibility was assessed using the trail making test (TMT). Tract based spatial statistics (TBSS) were employed to assess white matter abnormalities and their correlation with cognitive flexibility.

Results: TMT performance correlated with mean and axial diffusivity in several white matter regions, predominantly in the frontoparietal white matter. These effects were stronger in PD risk persons (PD-RP) than in controls as evidenced by a significant group interaction. White matter integrity and TMT performance did not significantly differ across groups.

Conclusion: Based on our results, PD-RP do no exhibit white matter changes or impaired cognitive flexibility. However, specific executive functions in PD-RP are more related to white matter alterations than in healthy older adults.

Keywords: Parkinson’s disease; cognitive flexibility; diffusion tensor imaging; prodromal phase; white matter.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
GLM statistical model for group interaction effect. The first two columns represent tbss data of each group. Reg-C and Reg-P represent the regressor for the control group and PD-RP, respectively. Age and gender were added as covariates of no interest. C1: higher effect in control, C2: higher effect in PD-RP.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The results of TBSS whole-brain regression analysis overlaid on mean FA (1 mm) template and presented in radiological convention. (A) Significant group interaction (PD-RP > controls) determined in the regression analysis between cognitive flexibility (TMT B-A) and mean diffusivity (MD). (B) Significant group interaction (PD-RP > controls) determined in the regression analysis between cognitive flexibility (TMT B-A) and axial diffusivity (AD).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Correlation analysis between TMT B-A and MD (upper six panels) as well as TMT B-A and AD (lower six panels) for persons with (red) and without (blue) risk factors for PD for the clusters with the highest correlation in commissural tracts: genu and body of the corpus callosum (CC), projection tracts: left and right anterior corona radiata (ACL), and association tracts: left and right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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