Infratentorial Structures analysis in Pakinson Disease

• Grant number: 13/02660-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: May 01, 2013
• End date: April 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Medical Clinics
• Principal Investigator: Anelyssa Cysne Frota D'Abreu
• Grantee: Camila Callegari Piccinin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas (FCM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Parkinson´s disease (PD) is characterized by motor and nonmotor symptoms. The motor symptoms are the cornerstone for the diagnosis and include bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and resting tremor. A fifth sign often observed is freezing. The nonmotor symptoms are dementia, depression, irritability, hallucinations, apathy, and anxiety. Pathologically PD is characterized by the progressive degeneration of neurons from the nigrostriatal system and other subcortical nuclei leading to a degeneration of selected and heterogeneous populations of neurons, mostly in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). A pathologic hallmark of PD is the presence of Lewy Bodies (LB). In 2003, Braak and co-authors delineated a diagram that contains the PD stages based on the systematic progression of LB topographically. Apart from these two classical hallmarks of PD (SNcp degeneration and LB), recent studies demonstrated morphometric changes in the cortical gray matter (GM) in patients with PD. The neuroimaging technique Voxel-based Morphometry (VBM) is currently used to identify focal abnormalities in the GM volume by comparison between two groups, voxel by voxel. A recent meta-analysis showed the increasing interest in attempting to correlate GM changes with the clinical features of PD using various imaging techniques, including VBM. This meta-analysis argues, however, that many studies have presented inconsistent e controversial results probably due to small and heterogeneous samples and methodological differences. It is important to note, however, that while the Braak stages propose an ascending progression of the disease, from the lower medulla towards the cortical areas, most image studies so far, have failed to demonstrate any significant involvement in those areas. Besides, there is incipient evidence of cerebellar involvement in the physiopathology of the resting tremor. Hence, our aim is to perform a detailed morphometric study of the infratentorial structures in patients with PD using the VBM technique. For this specific analysis, we will use the SUIT tool from SPM8. We also intend to perform correlations between the VBM finds with the clinical progression of PD and the Braak stages. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PICCININ, CAMILA CALLEGARI; CAMPOS, LIDIANE SOARES; GUIMARAES, RACHEL PAES; PIOVESANA, LUIZA GONZAGA; ARCI DOS SANTOS, MARIA CRISTINA; AZEVEDO, PAULA CHRISTINA; CAMPOS, BRUNNO MACHADO; RIBEIRO DE REZENDE, THIAGO JUNQUEIRA; AMATO-FILHO, AUGUSTO; CENDES, FERNANDO; et al. Differential Pattern of Cerebellar Atrophy in Tremor-Predominant and Akinetic/Rigidity-Predominant Parkinson's Disease. CEREBELLUM, v. 16, n. 3, p. 623-628, JUN 2017. (13/02660-8)