Executive attention networks show altered relationship with default mode network in PD
P. Boord, T. Madhyastha, M. Askren, T. Grabowski
NeuroImage: Clinical November 5, 2016 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2016.11.004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case-control functional neuroimaging study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 46 |
| Population | 25 non-demented subjects with Parkinson's disease and 21 healthy controls |
| Duration | Two repeated sessions |
| Measures | Attention Network Test, functional MRI |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Parkinson's disease subjects showed more activation during increased executive challenge in four regions of the dorsal attention and frontoparietal networks (right frontal eye field, left and right intraparietal sulcus, precuneus) and reduced resting-state connectivity to the default mode network in three regions. The correlation between higher right intraparietal sulcus activation and reduced connectivity to the precuneus seen in controls was absent in patients. The authors suggest a weakened interaction between default mode and task-positive networks might alter executive response processing in Parkinson's disease. |
Abstract
Attention dysfunction is a common but often undiagnosed cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease that significantly reduces quality of life. We sought to increase understanding of the mechanisms underlying attention dysfunction using functional neuroimaging. Functional MRI was acquired at two repeated sessions in the resting state and during the Attention Network Test, for 25 non-demented subjects with Parkinson's disease and 21 healthy controls. Behavioral and MRI contrasts were calculated for alerting, orienting, and executive control components of attention. Brain regions showing group differences in attention processing were used as seeds in a functional connectivity analysis of a separate resting state run. Parkinson's disease subjects showed more activation during increased executive challenge in four regions of the dorsal attention and frontoparietal networks, namely right frontal eye field, left and right intraparietal sulcus, and precuneus. In three regions we saw reduced resting state connectivity to the default mode network. Further, whereas higher task activation in the right intraparietal sulcus correlated with reduced resting state connectivity between right intraparietal sulcus and the precuneus in healthy controls, this relationship was absent in Parkinson's disease subjects. Our results suggest that a weakened interaction between the default mode and task positive networks might alter the way in which the executive response is processed in PD.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |