Introduction: Apathy is a prevalent mood disturbance that occurs in a wide range of populations, including those with normal cognitive aging, mental disorders, neurodegenerative disorders and traumatic brain injuries. Recently, neuroimaging technologies have been employed to elucidate the neural substrates underlying brain disorders accompanying apathy. However, the consistent neural correlates of apathy across normal aging and brain disorders are still unclear.Methods: This paper first provides a brief review of the neural mechanism of apathy in healthy elderly individuals, those with mental disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and traumatic brain injuries. Further, following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, the structural and functional neuroimaging meta-analysis using activation likelihood estimation method is performed on the apathy group with brain disorders and the healthy elderly, aiming at exploring the neural correlates of apathy.Results: The structural neuroimaging meta-analysis showed that gray matter atrophy is associated with apathy in the bilateral precentral gyrus (BA 13/6), bilateral insula (BA 47), bilateral medial frontal gyrus (BA 11), bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, left caudate (putamen) and right anterior cingulate, while the functional neuroimaging meta-analysis suggested that the functional connectivity in putamen and lateral globus pallidus is correlated with apathy.Discussion: Through the neuroimaging meta-analysis, this study has identified the potential neural locations of apathy in terms of brain structure and function, which may offer valuable pathophysiological insights for developing more effective therapeutic interventions for affected patients.

Migraine is a chronic episodic neurological disorder. However, its diagnosis and management remain unclear. The pathogenesis of migraine is intricately linked to the dysfunction of mitochondria and aberrant trigeminal neuronal activity. Here, we established a murine migraine model via intraperitoneal administration of nitroglycerin (NTG) to examine alterations in mitochondria-associated proteins and calcium signaling patterns within trigeminal neurons, while also investigating the underlying mechanisms. NTG-treated mice exhibited marked periorbital allodynia, decreased crossing of the central area, and decreased time spent in the central area in the open field test compared to Veh treated animals. Furthermore, increased calcium signaling in response to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) stimulation was observed in the trigeminal ganglion (TG) of mice with migraine. Meanwhile, mRNA levels of genes including nuclear respiratory factor-1 ( Nrf1) , nuclear respiratory factor-2 ( Nrf2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (Pgc-1) were decreased in the TG. Pharmacological regulation of the mitochondrial function affected NTG-induced migraine chronic pain symptoms. TG mitochondria dysfunctions is implicated in the regulation of mechanical hyperalgesia through the modulation of calcium signaling in an NTG-induced migraine animal model.

Objective: To identify independent risk factors for Parkinson disease mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and develop a prediction model integrating clinical indicators, blood biomarker, and neuroimaging data, aiding in detection and intervention.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with 150 PD patients. The PD-MCI group (n = 64) and PD with normal cognition (PD-NC, n = 86) were identified using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale. Data on demographics, motor symptoms, cognitive function, quality of life, blood markers, and diffusion tensor imaging along perivascular spaces (DTI-ALPS) were collected. Univariate analysis identified significant variables, and multivariate logistic regression identified independent risk factors. A nomogram prediction model was developed using R software. Model performance was evaluated using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves, bootstrap resampling calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA).Results: Significant differences between the groups were found in levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD), PD Quality of Life Questionnaire, creatinine, cystatin C, and ALPS index. Multivariate regression identified higher LEDD (OR = 1.01, 95%CI 1.00–1.03, p = 0.005) and creatinine levels (OR = 1.34, 95%CI 1.10–1.66, p = 0.005) as independent risk factors. The nomogram model demonstrated strong discriminatory ability (AUC = 0.864, 95%CI 0.807–0.922) and good calibration. DCA showed a significant net benefit within clinical threshold ranges.Conclusion: This study developed a PD-MCI prediction model incorporating DTI-ALPS and clinical blood biomarkers. It confirmed that LEDD and creatinine levels are independent risk factors, with high clinical value for early screening and individualized treatment.

Objective: To investigate whether patients with Parkinson’s disease with mild cognitive impairment exhibit hippocampal subfield-specific macrostructural and microstructural alterations and to determine whether these imaging abnormalities are associated with global cognitive performance. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 34 patients with Parkinson’s disease and mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), 34 patients with Parkinson’s disease and preserved cognitive function (PD-NC), and 18 healthy controls (HCs). Bilateral hippocampal subfield volumes were quantified from T1-weighted magnetic resonance images, while fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were derived from diffusion tensor imaging. Between-group differences were assessed using analysis of covariance. Diffusion models were adjusted for age, sex, and years of education, whereas volumetric models were additionally adjusted for estimated total intracranial volume. The Benjamini–Hochberg false discovery rate (FDR) procedure was applied across 182 imaging outcomes, and outcomes surviving global FDR correction were followed by Tukey-adjusted pairwise comparisons. Exploratory partial correlations assessed associations between FDR-positive diffusion measures and MoCA scores in the combined PD cohort after adjustment for age, sex, and years of education. BH-FDR correction was applied across the 42 correlation tests, and an additional sensitivity analysis further adjusted for PD-MCI/PD-NC group membership. Results: None of the 38 volumetric measures survived global FDR correction. In contrast, significant group effects were identified in 42 diffusion measures, comprising 14 AD, 2 FA, 12 MD, and 14 RD outcomes. The strongest effects for the diffusivity measures were observed in the left GC-ML-DG-head (AD: F (2,80) = 11.87, q = 0.002, partial η ² = 0.229; MD: F (2,80) = 11.89, q = 0.002, partial η ² = 0.229; RD: F (2,80) = 12.34, q = 0.002, partial η ² = 0.236). Tukey-adjusted pairwise comparisons identified 38 significant PD-NC versus PD-MCI contrasts and 34 HC versus PD-MCI contrasts, whereas only one HC versus PD-NC contrast was significant. This involved FA in the left GC-ML-DG-head, which was lower in both PD groups than in HC. In exploratory pooled-PD analyses, 39 of the 42 diffusion measures were associated with MoCA scores after FDR correction; however, none remained significant after additional adjustment for PD-MCI/PD-NC group membership. Conclusion: PD-MCI was characterized by distributed hippocampal diffusivity alterations despite the absence of detectable volumetric differences. Subfield-specific diffusion measures may provide complementary information on cognition-related hippocampal involvement beyond conventional volumetry, but their diagnostic and prognostic value requires longitudinal and external validation.

Article: Intelligent polysomnography to monitor the effect of sleep performance on neurological mechanism in patients with Parkinson's disease - Panminerva Medica 2021 Oct 25 - Minerva Medica - Journals