Functional Network-Based Statistics Reveal Abnormal Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Parkinson’s Disease with Apathy

Motivation: Apathy is a common and disabling symptom of Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet brain networks involved in Patients with PD with apathy (PD-A) remain underexplored. Goal(s): The aim of our study was to identify brain networks of PD-A using network-based statistics (NBS). Approach: Resting-state fMRI data was obtained from twenty-eight patients with PD-A, 19 PD patients without apathy (PD-NA), and 32 healthy controls (HCs). A network-based statistic analysis was used to isolate networks of interconnected nodes that differ among the three groups. Results: PD-A showed decreased connectivities in control network, default network, attention network, somatomotor network, temporoparietal network, and visual network. Impact: We performed NBS analysis to identify brain networks related to PD-A at the whole-brain functional connectome level for the first time. NBS is a validated nonparametrical statistical approach for understanding the neural mechanisms of PD-A.