title: Neural correlates of apathy in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, acquired brain injury, and psychiatric disorders.
abstract: Apathy can be described as a loss of goal-directed purposeful behavior and is common in a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although previous studies investigated associations between abnormal brain functioning and apathy, it is unclear whether the neural basis of apathy is similar across different pathological conditions. The purpose of this systematic review was to provide an extensive overview of the neuroimaging literature on apathy including studies of various patient populations, and evaluate whether the current state of affairs suggest disorder specific or shared neural correlates of apathy. Results suggest that abnormalities within fronto-striatal circuits are most consistently associated with apathy across the different pathological conditions. Of note, abnormalities within the inferior parietal cortex were also linked to apathy, a region previously not included in neuroanatomical models of apathy. The variance in brain regions implicated in apathy may suggest that different routes towards apathy are possible. Future research should investigate possible alterations in different processes underlying goal-directed behavior, ranging from intention and goal-selection to action planning and execution.
authors.affiliation: NeuroImaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 2, 9713 AW, The Netherlands. Electronic address: claire.kos@gmail.nl.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kos
authors.affiliation: NeuroImaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 2, 9713 AW, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marie-José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van Tol
authors.affiliation: NeuroImaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 2, 9713 AW, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan-Bernard C
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Marsman
authors.affiliation: Lentis Research, Lentis Center for Mental Health Care, Hereweg 80, 9725 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands; Rob Giel Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Henderikus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Knegtering
authors.affiliation: NeuroImaging Center, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 2, 9713 AW, The Netherlands; Rob Giel Research Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aleman
mesh_terms: D057565:Apathy; D001921:Brain; D001930:Brain Injuries; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases
keywords: Amotivation; Anterior cingulate cortex; Apathy; Basal ganglia; Electroencephalography (EEG); Frontal; Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); Neuroimaging; Parietal; Positron emission tomography (PET); Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT); Striatum