The Journal of Practical Medicine ›› 2024, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (24): 3438-3445.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-5725.2024.24.002

• Clinical Research • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Exploratory study on the relationship between brain structural network changes and gut microbiota in patients with mild cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson′s disease

Zihui TIE1,2,3,Peikun HE2,3,Yanyi LI2,3,Qingrui DUAN2,3,Kun NIE2,3,Lijuan. WANG1,2,3()   

  1. 1.School of Medicine,South China University of Technology,Guangzhou 510006,Guangdong,China
    2.Department of Neurology,Guangdong Neuroscience Institute,Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences),Southern Medical University,Guangzhou 510180,Guangdong,China
    3.Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for Neurodegenerative Diseases,Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences),Southern Medical University,Guangzhou 510180,Guangdong,China
  • Received:2024-06-18 Online:2024-12-25 Published:2024-12-23
  • Contact: Lijuan. WANG E-mail:wanglijuan@gdph.org.cn

Abstract:

Objective To investigate the relationship between brain structural networks and gut microbiota in patients with mild cognitive impairment associated with Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI), and the impact on cognitive function by neuroimaging and intestinal microbiology techniques. Methods 29 cases of patients with PD-MCI and 17 cases of PD patients with normal cognitive function (PD-NC) were enrolled. MRI T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging were collected for graph theory analysis, and fecal samples were analyzed using 16s DNA sequencing. Partial correlation analysis assessed relationships among differential bacteria, structural network properties, and cognitive scale scores, finally followed by mediation effect analysis. Results In PD patients, the abundance of Prevotellaceae, Alloprevotella, and UCG-10 bacteria was positively correlated with language and memory cognitive domains, while the abundance of UCG-010 showed a negative correlation with executive function. Additionally, the gut microbiota also was associated with several distinct brain structural network node characteristics. Mediation analysis indicated that Prevotellaceae's effect on logical memory was mediated by the node degree in the right opercular inferior frontal gyrus (IE = 0.074,95%CI:0.21 ~ 0.001,P = 0.046). Conclusions PD-MCI patients showed distinct gut microbiota and brain network features compared to PD-NC patients. The association and the mediation analysis of gut microbiota with brain networks and cognitive impairment suggests a role for Prevotellaceae in brain network alterations related to MCI, highlighting the gut-brain axis's potential influence on cognition.

Key words: Parkinson's disease, mild cognitive impairment, brain structural network analysis, gut microbiota

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