Structural brain correlates of verbal fluency in Parkinson's disease.
Verbal fluency tests are often used to assess cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. These tests have been found to be impaired even in initial stages of this illness. We applied voxel-based morphometry to investigate the neuroanatomic substrates of semantic and phonemic fluency impairment. Correlations between gray matter density and semantic as well as phonemic fluency performance were performed in 32 nondemented Parkinson's disease patients. We found that gray matter of temporal, frontal and cerebellar areas correlated with semantic fluency scores. In contrast, no gray matter correlations were found for phonemic fluency or for general cognitive functions. These results suggest that semantic fluency impairment is reflecting structural gray matter changes in regions involved in language networks.
Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Spain.
Joana B
JB
Pereira
Carme
C
Junqué
Maria J
MJ
Martí
Blanca
B
Ramirez-Ruiz
David
D
Bartrés-Faz
Eduard
E
Tolosa
D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D007802:Language; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007807:Language Tests; D020961:Lewy Body Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D014705:Verbal Behavior / Q000502:physiology