Brain Sciences (Jun 2021)

Neurosonological Findings Related to Non-Motor Features of Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review

  • Cristina del Toro Pérez,
  • Laura Amaya Pascasio,
  • Antonio Arjona Padillo,
  • Jesús Olivares Romero,
  • María Victoria Mejías Olmedo,
  • Javier Fernández Pérez,
  • Manuel Payán Ortiz,
  • Patricia Martínez-Sánchez

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11060776
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 6
p. 776

Abstract

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Non-motor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson’s disease (PD), including neuropsychiatric or dysautonomic complaints, fatigue, or pain, are frequent and have a high impact on the patient’s quality of life. They are often poorly recognized and inadequately treated. In the recent years, the growing awareness of NMS has favored the development of techniques that complement the clinician’s diagnosis. This review provides an overview of the most important ultrasonographic findings related to the presence of various NMS. Literature research was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from inception until January 2021, retrieving 23 prospective observational studies evaluating transcranial and cervical ultrasound in depression, dementia, dysautonomic symptoms, psychosis, and restless leg syndrome. Overall, the eligible articles showed good or fair quality according to the QUADAS-2 assessment. Brainstem raphe hypoechogenicity was related to the presence of depression in PD and also in depressed patients without PD, as well as to overactive bladder. Substantia nigra hyperechogenicity was frequent in patients with visual hallucinations, and larger intracranial ventricles correlated with dementia. Evaluation of the vagus nerve showed contradictory findings. The results of this systematic review demonstrated that transcranial ultrasound can be a useful complementary tool in the evaluation of NMS in PD.

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