Increased Effective Connectivity of the Left Parietal Lobe During Walking Tasks in Parkinson's Disease

Background: In Parkinson's disease (PD), walking may depend on the activation of the cerebral cortex. Understanding the patterns of interaction between cortical regions during walking tasks is of great importance.

Objective: This study investigated differences in the effective connectivity (EC) of the cerebral cortex during walking tasks in individuals with PD and healthy controls.

Methods: We evaluated 30 individuals with PD (62.4±7.2 years) and 22 age-matched healthy controls (61.0±6.4 years). A mobile functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to record cerebral oxygenation signals in the left prefrontal cortex (LPFC), right prefrontal cortex (RPFC), left parietal lobe (LPL), and right parietal lobe (RPL) and analyze the EC of the cerebral cortex. A wireless movement monitor was used to measure the gait parameters.

Results: Individuals with PD demonstrated a primary coupling direction from LPL to LPFC during walking tasks, whereas healthy controls did not demonstrate any main coupling direction. Compared with healthy controls, individuals with PD showed statistically significantly increased EC coupling strength from LPL to LPFC, from LPL to RPFC, and from LPL to RPL. Individuals with PD showed decreased gait speed and stride length and increased variability in speed and stride length. The EC coupling strength from LPL to RPFC negatively correlated with speed and positively correlated with speed variability in individuals with PD.

Conclusion: In individuals with PD, the left prefrontal cortex may be regulated by the left parietal lobe during walking. This may be the result of functional compensation in the left parietal lobe.