Behavioural and neuroimaging correlates of impaired self-awareness of hypo- and hyperkinesia in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Anosognosia or impaired self-awareness of motor symptoms (ISAm) has been rarely investigated in Parkinson's disease (PD). We here studied the relationship between ISAm during periods with and without dopaminergic medication (ON- and OFF-state), and clinical, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging data to further elucidate behavioural aspects and the neurobiological underpinnings of ISAm.

Methods: Thirty-one right-handed, non-demented, non-depressed PD patients were included.

Impulsivity is Associated with Increased Metabolism in the Fronto-Insular Network in Parkinson's Disease.

Various neuroimaging studies demonstrated that the fronto-insular network is implicated in impulsive behavior. We compared glucose metabolism (as a proxy measure of neural activity) among 24 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who presented with low or high levels of impulsivity based on the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale 11 (BIS) scores. Subjects underwent 18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) and the voxel-wise group difference of FDG-metabolism was analyzed in Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM8).