Structural connectivity from DTI to predict mild cognitive impairment in de novo Parkinson's disease.

Background: Early detection of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients at high risk for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can help with timely intervention. White matter structural connectivity is considered an early and sensitive indicator of neurodegenerative disease.

Objectives: To investigate whether baseline white matter structural connectivity features from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) of de novo PD patients can help predict PD-MCI conversion at an individual level using machine learning methods.

Dysfunction of human brain network hierarchy in Parkinson's disease patients with freezing of gait.

Introduction: Hierarchy has been identified as a principle underlying the organization of human brain networks. In Parkinson's disease with freezing of gait (PD-FOG), it remains unclear whether and how the network hierarchy is disrupted. Additionally, the associations between changes in the brain network hierarchy of PD patients with FOG and clinical scales remain unclear.