Gray matter vulnerabilities predict longitudinal development of apathy in Huntington's disease

Background: Apathy, a common neuropsychiatric disturbance in Huntington's disease (HD), is subserved by a complex neurobiological network. However, no study has yet employed a whole-brain approach to examine underlying regional vulnerabilities that may precipitate apathy changes over time. Obje...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: De Paepe, Audrey E., Ara, Alberto, García-Gorro, Clara, Martínez Horta, Saúl, Pérez Pérez, Jesús, Kulisevsky, Jaime, Rodríguez Dechichá, Nadia, Vaquer, Irene, Subirà Álvarez, Susana, Calopa, Matilde, Muñoz García, José Esteban, Santacruz, Pilar, Ruiz-Idiago, Jesús, Mareca, Celia, Diego Balaguer, Ruth de, Camara Mancha, Estela
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/181202
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/181202
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Corea de Huntington
Malalties neurodegeneratives
Cervell
Imatges per ressonància magnètica
Huntington's chorea
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Brain
Magnetic resonance imaging
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Apathy, a common neuropsychiatric disturbance in Huntington's disease (HD), is subserved by a complex neurobiological network. However, no study has yet employed a whole-brain approach to examine underlying regional vulnerabilities that may precipitate apathy changes over time. Objectives: To identify whole-brain gray matter volume (GMV) vulnerabilities that may predict longitudinal apathy development in HD. Methods: Forty-five HD individuals (31 female) were scanned and evaluated for apathy and other neuropsychiatric features using the short-Problem Behavior Assessment for a maximum total of six longitudinal visits (including baseline). In order to identify regions where changes in GMV may describe changes in apathy, we performed longitudinal voxel-based morphometry (VBM) on those 33 participants with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan on their second visit at 18 ± 6 months follow-up (78 MRI datasets). We next employed a generalized linear mixed-effects model (N = 45) to elucidate whether initial and specific GMV may predict apathy development over time. Results: Utilizing longitudinal VBM, we revealed a relationship between increases in apathy and specific GMV atrophy in the right middle cingulate cortex (MCC). Furthermore, vulnerability in the right MCC volume at baseline successfully predicted the severity and progression of apathy over time. Conclusions: This study highlights that individual differences in apathy in HD may be explained by variability in atrophy and initial vulnerabilities in the right MCC, a region implicated in action-initiation. These findings thus serve to facilitate the prediction of an apathetic profile, permitting targeted, time-sensitive interventions in neurodegenerative disease with potential implications in otherwise healthy populations.