Contracted thalamic shape is associated with early development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 12; no. 1; p. 12631
• Main Authors: Yoo, Han Soo, Lee, Eun-Chong, Chung, Seok Jong, Ye, Byoung Seok, Sohn, Young H., Seong, Joon-Kyung, Lee, Phil Hyu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 25-07-2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/378; 692/617; Basal ganglia; Central nervous system diseases; Deformation; Dopamine; Dopamine transporter; Dyskinesia; Handedness; Humanities and Social Sciences; Latency; Levodopa; Movement disorders; multidisciplinary; Neurodegenerative diseases; Parkinson's disease; Putamen; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Thalamus
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16747-6

Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID), a long-term motor complication in Parkinson’s disease (PD), is attributable to both presynaptic and postsynaptic mechanisms. However, no studies have evaluated the baseline structural changes associated with LID at a subcortical level in PD. A total of 116 right-handed PD patients were recruited and based on the LID latency of 5 years, we classified patients into those vulnerable to LID (PD-vLID, n = 49) and those resistant to LID (PD-rLID, n = 67). After adjusting for covariates including dopamine transporter (DAT) availability of the posterior putamen, we compared the subcortical shape between the groups and investigated its association with the onset of LID. The PD-vLID group had lower DAT availability in the posterior putamen, higher parkinsonian motor deficits, and faster increment in levodopa equivalent dose than the PD-rLID group. The PD-vLID group had significant inward deformation in the right thalamus compared to the PD-rLID group. Inward deformation in the thalamus was associated with an earlier onset of LID at baseline. This study suggests that independent of presynaptic dopamine depletion, the thalamus is a major neural substrate for LID and that a contracted thalamic shape at baseline is closely associated with an early development of LID.