MRI Assessment of Intrinsic Neural Timescale and Gray Matter Volume in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

BackgroundNumerous studies have indicated altered temporal features of the brain function in Parkinson's disease (PD), and the autocorrelation magnitude of intrinsic neural signals, called intrinsic neural timescales, were often applied to estimate how long neural information stored in local brain areas. However, it is unclear whether PD patients at different disease stages exhibit abnormal timescales accompanied with abnormal gray matter volume (GMV).PurposeTo assess the intrinsic timescale and GMV in PD.Study TypeProspective.Population74 idiopathic PD patients (44 early stage (PD‐ES) and 30 late stage (PD‐LS), as determined by the Hoehn and Yahr (HY) severity classification scale), and 73 healthy controls (HC).Field Strength/Sequence3.0 T MRI scanner; magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo and echo planar imaging sequences.AssessmentThe timescales were estimated by using the autocorrelation magnitude of neural signals. Voxel‐based morphometry was performed to calculate GMV in the whole brain. Severity of motor symptoms and cognitive impairments were assessed using the unified PD rating scale, the HY scale, the Montreal cognitive assessment, and the mini‐mental state examination.Statistical TestAnalysis of variance; two‐sample t‐test; Spearman rank correlation analysis; Mann–Whitney U test; Kruskal‐Wallis' H test. A P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsThe PD group had significantly abnormal intrinsic timescales in the sensorimotor, visual, and cognitive‐related areas, which correlated with the symptom severity (ρ = −0.265, P = 0.022) and GMV (ρ = 0.254, P = 0.029). Compared to the HC group, the PD‐ES group had significantly longer timescales in anterior cortical regions, whereas the PD‐LS group had significantly shorter timescales in posterior cortical regions.ConclusionThis study suggested that PD patients have abnormal timescales in multisystem and distinct patterns of timescales and GMV in cerebral cortex at different disease stages. This may provide new insights for the neural substrate of PD.Level of Evidence2Technical Efficacy Stage1

Strategies for motion- and respiration-robust estimation of fMRI intrinsic neural timescales

“…In terms of organizational principles of the brain, a hierarchy of timescales has been observed in mice (Pinto et al, 2020), non-human primates (Manea et al, 2022;Murray et al, 2014;Spitmaan et al, 2020), and humans (Hasson et al, 2015;Hasson et al, 2008;Honey et al, 2012;Lerner et al, 2011;Raut et al, 2020;Stephens et al, 2013;Wengler et al, 2020). Finally, INT alterations have been found across several neuropsychiatric disorders, including psychosis (Uscătescu et al, 2023;Uscătescu et al, 2021;Wengler et al, 2020), autism (Uscătescu et al, 2023;Watanabe et al, 2019), Parkinson's disease (Wei et al, 2023), epilepsy (Wang et al, 2021), obsessive-compulsive disorder (Xu et al, 2023), and Alzheimer's disease (Murai et al, 2023;Zhang et al, 2023).…”

Editorial for “MRI Assessment of Intrinsic Neural Timescale and Grey Matter Volume in Parkinson's Disease”

“…For example, in autism, atypical intrinsic neural timescale has been observed, with shorter intrinsic timescales in the sensory and visual areas correlating with the severity of autism, while the longer timescale in the caudate was associated with cognitive rigidity. 4 Inspired by previous studies, in this issue of JMRI, an article entitled "MRI assessment of intrinsic neural timescale and grey matter volume in Parkinson's disease" 5 described a study that examined abnormal intrinsic neural timescales and changes in grey matter volumes across different brain regions in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to healthy controls. The research included 74 PD patients, consisting of 44 patients in the early stage and 30 patients in the late stage, alongside a control group of 73 healthy individuals.…”

“…Inspired by previous studies, in this issue of JMRI, an article entitled “MRI assessment of intrinsic neural timescale and grey matter volume in Parkinson's disease” 5 described a study that examined abnormal intrinsic neural timescales and changes in grey matter volumes across different brain regions in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) compared to healthy controls. The research included 74 PD patients, consisting of 44 patients in the early stage and 30 patients in the late stage, alongside a control group of 73 healthy individuals.…”