Roberta Di Giacomo
Department of Neuroscience, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, University G.d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara,
Italy
Research Article
Brainstem Midline Assessed by Transcranial Sonography in Parkinson's
Disease: Further Evidence of a Different Etiopathogenesis of Alexithymia
and Depression
Author(s): Roberta Di Giacomo, Vincenzo D'Agostino, Maria Vittoria De Angelis, Francesco Cerritelli, Luciano Paolo Marchionno, Maria Chiara D'Amico, Astrid Thomas, Marco Onofrj and Laura BonanniRoberta Di Giacomo, Vincenzo D'Agostino, Maria Vittoria De Angelis, Francesco Cerritelli, Luciano Paolo Marchionno, Maria Chiara D'Amico, Astrid Thomas, Marco Onofrj and Laura Bonanni
Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is often characterized by altered emotional processing, such as depression and alexithymia. Alexithymic and depressive symptoms may be partially overlapping and the relative independence of these two disorders is strongly debated. Reduced echogenicity of midbrain raphe, evaluated with transcranial sonography (TCS), is a characteristic finding in depression associated with PD. No data are available on brainstem's echogenicity in alexithymic PD patients. We assessed, by means of transcranial sonography, possible differences between PD patient with or without alexithymia and/or depression. Methods: We recruited 22 PD patients among our local cohort of 200 patients referred to our Movement Disorder Center during 2014. All patients were treated with optimal dose of dopaminomimetic (L-DOPA EQ mg 499.7 ± 256.3) and underwent neuropsychological tests.. View More»
