A study by the Parc Sanitari SJD links the slowness associated with Parkinson's to changes in the brain
Research results show that movement difficulty is related to changes in the folding of the cortex
In Catalonia there are more than 30,000 people diagnosed with Parkinson's who suffer from bradykinesia, one of the most disabling symptoms of this neurodegenerative disease.
April 11th marks World Parkinson's Day with the aim of raising awareness among the population and giving visibility to people who live with it and their families.
The slowness and motor limitations associated with Parkinson's they are closer to having an explanation. The study Deficits in cortical folding in early stages of Parkinson's disease: the importance of bradykinesia, led by researchers Dr. Christian Stephan-Otto and Dr. Christian Núñez, the Dr. Antoni Callén, neurologist, and the researcher Gemma Colomé, has discovered a direct relationship among the characteristics difficulties from movement of the disease and some structural alterations of the brain. Specifically, a loss of folding of the cerebral cortex.
The results of the study indicate that the reduction in cortical folding It affects regions that are key in the processing of sensory information. According to the researchers, this alteration could be linked to theslowing of motor fluency.
“These findings suggest that slowness and difficulty moving could be associated with a deficit in brain processing”, the researchers explain. Furthermore, in the healthcare field, “this helps to understand the frustration and the effort extra than them patients they have to do in everyday tasks that were previously automatic for them”, explains Dr. Antoni Callén.
The study is part of the doctoral thesis of Dr. Callén, head of the Neurology Service of the SJD Sant Boi Hospital, in collaboration with Gemma Colomé, researcher and member of the Innovation team of the SJD Health Park, and with the direction of researchers Dr. Christian Núñez, of the Multimodal Neuroimaging group in recent-onset and high-risk psychosis. the IDIBAPS, and Dr. Christian Stephan-Otto, from Pediatric Computational Imaging Center (PeCIC) from the Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute (IRSJD).
This is an inter-institutional project that combines clinical expertise and analytical capacity in brain imaging. The research was based on a cross-functional collaboration, which has allowed us to approach the research from a complementary and rigorous perspective, in order tointegrate clinical, technological and methodological knowledge. “The combination of clinical perspective and analytical capacity allows us advance knowledge of Parkinson's disease and seek useful answers for patients, healthcare personnel and researchers in neurodegenerative diseases”, they explain.
Faster diagnoses and more precise medical support
The results obtained in this study show new future prospects: the magnetic resonance imaging could become a key test to detect changes in the cortex related to bradykinesia. This would allow to obtain faster diagnoses, more precise medical support and more accurate quantification of the impact of new therapies.
This new approach opens the door to Transforming the clinical approach to Parkinson's and improve knowledge of the disease.
Parkinson's disease affects more than eight million people worldwide. In Spain there are more than 200,000 people affected and, annually, around 10,000 new diagnoses are registered. In Catalonia, more than 30,000 people are diagnosed with this neurodegenerative disease. Among its main symptoms are: bradykinesia, defined as the slowness of movement. Although it is less well known than the typical Parkinson's tremor, it is one of the most invasive symptoms and which generates more complaints among people living with the disease.
A prevalent neurodegenerative disease with a high health impact
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system whose main symptoms are resting tremor (in the hands, arms, legs or jaw), slowness of movement, rigidity (stiffening of the limbs and trunk), and postural instability. The progression of Parkinson's disease is very variable, it can have a fairly benign course or be very disabling in the short or medium term.
It is the second neurodegenerative disorder that affects the most people. It is slightly more prevalent among men, with a average age of 78 years. According to data from the Spanish Society of Neurology, Parkinson's is not an exclusive disease of the elderly, since a 15% of cases are diagnosed in people under 50 years of age.
Furthermore, it is a disease with a high health impact. Almost half of people diagnosed are at risk of serious complications, a fact that increases the likelihood of hospitalization.
Study Deficits in cortical folding in early stages of Parkinson's disease: the importance of bradykinesia (DOI 10.1093/braincomms/fcag094)
