title: Cerebral atrophy in Parkinson's disease patients with visual hallucinations.
abstract: Although visual hallucinations (VH) are relatively frequent in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, their neural substrates are only known from neuropathological and functional magnetic resonance studies. The aim of this study was to investigate possible structural brain changes on MRI in non-demented PD patients with VH using voxel-based morphometry. Eighteen PD patients with VH were compared to 20 patients with PD without VH and 21 healthy controls. Compared with both controls and the non-hallucinating PD group, PD patients with VH had grey matter volume reductions in the lingual gyrus and superior parietal lobe. Structural changes in these areas involved in higher visual processing may be important in understanding the VH and visual deficits in PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ramírez-Ruiz
authors.forename: M-J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Martí
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tolosa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giménez
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bargalló
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valldeoriola
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Junqué
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001284:Atrophy; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006212:Hallucinations / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D007980:Levodopa