title: Precuneal Thickness and Depression in Parkinson Disease.
abstract: Depression-related gray matter changes in Parkinson disease (PD) patients have been reported, although studies investigating cortical thickness in early-stage disease are lacking.
  
  
  
  We aimed to evaluate cortical changes related to depression in early-stage PD patients with an extensive neuropsychological evaluation.
  
  
  
  17 PD patients and 22 healthy controls underwent a 1.5-T brain MR protocol, and voxel-wise differences in cortical thickness among patients with (n = 6) and without (n = 11) depression and controls were evaluated using FreeSurfer software.
  
  
  
  Cortical thickness was increased in the precuneus bilaterally in PD patients with depression compared to the other groups (number of vertices >100; p < 0.001, uncorrected) with a direct correlation with the Beck Depression Inventory score (p < 0.001, uncorrected).
  
  
  
  Precuneal cortical thickening is evident in PD patients with mild-moderate depression even in the early stages of the disease. This finding may reflect the early involvement of this region in the development of PD-related depression.
authors.affiliation: Functional MR Unit, Policlinico S. Orsola - Malpighi, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zanigni
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sambati
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Evangelisti
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calandra-Buonaura
authors.forename: David Neil
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Manners
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Terlizzi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Poda
authors.forename: Federico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oppi
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lodi
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cortelli
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tonon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003863:Depression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*