Distinct structural backbone-network in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) subjects: Insights from Parkinson’s Progressive Markers Initiative (PPMI) dataset

In vivo imaging that reliably captures the impact of the spreading pathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), including its impact on both white and gray matter, remains elusive. In this study, we applied graph-theoretical techniques to multi-site diffusion-MRI data from a cohort of early PD-subjects in Parkinson’s Progressive Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. A distinctive structural backbone-network was revealed in early PD-subjects without any a-priori assumptions involving cortical and subcortical regions that are known to be involved in various stages of PD, including early PD (Olfactory-cortex, globus-pallidum, and striatum). Our study opens new avenues to understanding progression of PD from a graph-theoretical approach.