Cognitive Performance Patterns in Healthy Individuals with Substantia Nigra Hyperechogenicity and Early Parkinson’s Disease

نویسندگان

  • Rezzak Yilmaz
  • Susanne Gräber
  • Benjamin Roeben
  • Ulrike Suenkel
  • Anna-Katharina von Thaler
  • Sebastian Heinzel
  • Florian G. Metzger
  • Gerhard W. Eschweiler
  • Walter Maetzler
  • Daniela Berg
  • Inga Liepelt-Scarfone
چکیده

Introduction: Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN+) is a risk marker for Parkinson's disease (PD) which can be detected before the diagnosis. In healthy individuals, SN+ has been associated with slight deficits in specific cognitive functions, suggesting cognitive impairment as a possible pre-diagnostic marker for PD. However, the pattern of cognitive deficits associated with SN+ has not yet been compared with those present in PD. Methods: Data of 262 healthy individuals with normal echogenicity (SN-) and 48 healthy individuals with SN+ were compared with 82 early stage PD patients using the "Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's disease" test battery. First, the test clusters (factors) were identified using a principal component analysis (PCA). Mean group performance of cognitive tests belonging to distinct factors, according to the PCA, and single subtest performances were compared using analyses of variance. Second, the number of individuals with abnormal cognitive performances (z-score < -1.0) were compared between groups. Results: Verbal memory, semantic and executive function, and praxis were identified as components of cognitive performances. The SN+ group performed significantly worse than the SN- group in tests assessing semantic and executive function, with a non-significant decrease in verbal memory. On the subtest level, individuals of the SN+ group scored significantly lower than the SN- group on the Boston Naming Test (BNT; p = 0.008). In all subtests, the percentages of PD patients with values below the cut-off for abnormal performance were higher than in the SN- group. Moreover, more individuals from the SN+ group scored below the cut-off in the BNT (SN- = 8.4%, SN+ = 20.8%, p = 0.01) and TMT-B (SN- = 6.9%, SN+ = 16.7%, p = 0.02), compared to the SN- group. Conclusion: This study confirms poorer performance of healthy individuals with SN+ compared to SN- in specific cognitive domains. However, against the SN- group, the cognitive profile of the SN+ group was not fully consistent with the profile of early PD patients. Our data argues that cognitive impairment associated with SN+ might differ slightly from that seen in early PD. Compensational mechanisms in the early phases of neurodegeneration, and the fact that only a subgroup of SN+ will develop PD, may partly explain these differences.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Substantia Nigra Hyperechogenicity for the Early Detection of Parkinson’s Disease

Hyperechogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN+) is an imaging marker which may be detected in individuals at risk for Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this short commentary, the evidence of SN+ as a risk marker for PD including its predictive value, stability and the limitations in assessment are discussed based on the current literature.

متن کامل

The effects of aqueous cinnamon bark extract and cinnamaldehyde on neurons of substantia nigra and behavioral impairment in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

Background and Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra. In recent years, there have been interests in the role of the free radical damage in PD. Cinnamon and its derivative, cinnamaldehyde acts as powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. This research focused on the effects of cinnamon extract and cinnamald...

متن کامل

The effect of simvastatin in prevention of histological changes of substantia nigra and behavioral abnormalities in an experimental model of Parkinson’s disease in rat

Background and Objective: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a rather common neurological disorder in elders that is due to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons within mesencephalic substantia nigra pars compacta. With regard to protective and antioxidant effect of simvastatin, this study was conducted to evaluate its neuroprotective effect in an experimental model of PD. Materials and Methods: In thi...

متن کامل

How to measure substantia nigra hyperechogenicity in Parkinson disease: detailed guide with video.

The detection of an enlarged echogenic size ("hyperechogenicity") of the substantia nigra on transcranial sonography is increasingly used for the early and differential diagnosis of Parkinson disease. However, the diagnostic value of substantia nigra sonography depends on the quality of its execution. This article with an accompanying video presents a step-by-step description and demonstration ...

متن کامل

Echogenicity of the substantia nigra: association with increased iron content and marker for susceptibility to nigrostriatal injury.

BACKGROUND Patients with Parkinson disease characteristically exhibit an increased echogenicity of the substantia nigra (SN) on transcranial sonography, a new neuroimaging technique. The same echo feature of the SN can be identified in 9% of healthy adults. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the relevance of the echogenic SN in healthy adults. DESIGN In the first part of the study, 10 healthy subjects y...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره 8  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2016