Federica Agosta1, Vladimir S. Kostic2,
Michela Pievani1, Milica Jecmenica-Lukic2, Elka
Stefanova2, Antonio Scarale1, Massimo Filippi1
1Neuroimaging Research
Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, Division of Neuroscience,
Scientific Institute & University Hospital San Raffaele, Milan, Italy; 2Department
of Neurology, University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Using voxel-based morphometry, this study investigated whether a specific pattern of gray matter (GM) loss is associated with freezing-of-gait (FOG) in Parkinsons disease (PD). Compared with controls (HC), PD patients showed bilateral frontoparietal GM atrophy. The pattern of GM atrophy was similarly widespread when considering PD-FOG patients only vs. HC. On the contrary, PD-noFOG vs. HC showed only small regions of left fronto-temporal GM atrophy. FOG score was associated with left frontal GM atrophyvolume. Such a relationship was independent of executive deficits. This finding suggests that the frontostriatal system may be involved in the pathophysiology of FOG in PD.
Keywords