An fMRI Study of Instant Brain Effects of taVNS on Parkinson's Disease
Poster No:
73
Submission Type:
Abstract Submission
Authors:
Shanshan Gao1, Chunlei Guo1, Yi Luo1, Yue Ma1, Qingyan Chen1, Xiaojuan Dan2, Yongtao Zhou2, Xiaojing Ma1, Biao Chen2, Jiliang Fang1
Institutions:
1Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, 2Department of Neurology, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
First Author:
Co-Author(s):
Introduction:
The incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) among individuals over the age of 60 in China is approximately 1.37% [1]. It is predicted that by 2030, there will be 5 million Parkinson's disease patients in China, accounting for approximately half of the world's Parkinson's disease patients. In addition to the typical motor symptoms such as resting tremor, bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and postural gait disorders, Parkinson's disease is accompanied by nonmotor symptoms such as constipation, fatigue, mood disorders, and sleep disturbances, and is slowly progressive [2]. Currently, the primary treatment for Parkinson's disease is dopamine substitution therapy [3]. The patient population is primarily elderly, and this elderly group has many underlying health conditions and takes multiple medications. Therefore, it is necessary to identify a convenient non-pharmaceutical therapy for patients with Parkinson's disease.
Currently, non-drug therapies available for Parkinson's disease include repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, surgery, and the like, which are often complex and invasive. In contrast, taVNS offers a non-invasive, portable therapy that holds significant advantages.Previous clinical studies have demonstrated that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation（taVNS）significantly improves gait freezing[4] and other motor disorders[5] in patients with Parkinson's disease and can regulate other non-motor symptoms such as insomnia[6], depression[7], mild cognitive impairment[8], and more. Therefore, this study aims to utilize resting-state fMRI to investigate the brain mechanism of the immediate adjunctive treatment of mild to moderate Parkinson's disease with taVNS.
Currently, non-drug therapies available for Parkinson's disease include repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, surgery, and the like, which are often complex and invasive. In contrast, taVNS offers a non-invasive, portable therapy that holds significant advantages.Previous clinical studies have demonstrated that transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation（taVNS）significantly improves gait freezing[4] and other motor disorders[5] in patients with Parkinson's disease and can regulate other non-motor symptoms such as insomnia[6], depression[7], mild cognitive impairment[8], and more. Therefore, this study aims to utilize resting-state fMRI to investigate the brain mechanism of the immediate adjunctive treatment of mild to moderate Parkinson's disease with taVNS.
Methods:
17 patients with Parkinson's disease in the early to middle stage who were taking medication regularly were recruited, and 17 healthy people matched by gender, age and education level were collected as a control group. The PD group was treated with taVNS for 30 min during the "off " state, and resting fMRI scans were performed before and after the taVNS, while the HC group obbtained the same fMRI scan. Observations were made to compare the differences in whole-brain-wide amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), and Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) between the 2 groups of subjects, as well as the changes in whole-brain-wide ALFF values of patients before and after taVNS treatment.
Results:
Compared with the HC group, the bilateral cerebellar ALFF values were reduced; the fALFF values of the right cuneate lobe/right superior occipital gyrus and the left precentral gyrus/left postcentral gyrus were reduced; and the ReHo values of the right cerebellum，and right cuneate lobe/Calcarine fissure /right lingual gyrus were reduced in PD group. After immediate treatment with taVNS, ALFF values were elevated in bilateral supplementary motor areas/bilateral medial superior frontal gyrus/left anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus in the PD group compared with pre-treatment.
Conclusions:
Brain function abnormalities in cerebellar, sensory, and motor-related cortical brain regions still exist in early and middle stage Parkinson's disease patients who take medication regularly. The immediate modulating effect of taVNS mainly focuses on bilateral auxiliary motor area and prefrontal lobe, which may be the brain mechanism for its adjuvant treatment of mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease patients.
Brain Stimulation:
Non-Invasive Stimulation Methods Other 1
Disorders of the Nervous System:
Neurodegenerative/ Late Life (eg. Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s) 2
Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:
BOLD fMRI
Keywords:
Cerebellum
Degenerative Disease
FUNCTIONAL MRI
Movement Disorder
Other - taVNS
1|2Indicates the priority used for review
Provide references using author date format
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[3] BLOEM B R. Parkinson's disease[J]. Lancet, 2021,397(10291): 2284-2303.
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[5] Zaehle. “The LC-NE system as a potential target for neuromodulation to ameliorate non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.” Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical vol. 236 (2021): 102901.
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