6th Edition of Neurology World Conference 2026

Abstract

Introduction Depression is one of the most common non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and affects about one third of patients. It is associated with a significant reduction in quality of life and an unfavourable prognosis for the course of the disease. Previous studies with smaller sample sizes reported heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory results regarding structural changes in grey matter. The aim of the present study was to investigate structural changes in grey matter using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in depressed and non-depressed PD patients in order to identify objective imaging biomarkers for depression in PD. Methods 169 patients with PK (n = 169) were examined, of whom 73 were classified as depressed. The presence of depression was defined by at least one of the following criteria: medical assessment, a score of >= 22 points on the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) or the use of an antidepressant. Structural differences in grey matter between depressed and non-depressed PK patients were analysed using T1-weighted MRI scans. The evaluation was performed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and network-based morphometry (SBM). Results In a group comparison, no significant morphometric differences in grey matter were found between depressed and non-depressed PK patients in the VBM and SBM. To increase diagnostic precision, depression was included as an explanatory variable in multiple regression models based on several criteria. Furthermore, there were no significant correlations between the additional covariates included in the models: total intracranial volume (TIV), gender, age at the time of the cMRT examination, duration of illness, and scanner-related quality differences. Conclusion Neither VBM nor SBM revealed any significant structural differences in grey matter between depressed and non-depressed patients with Parkinson’s disease. This, together with the heterogeneous results of previous studies, highlights the need for standardised, multimodal and longitudinal approaches and a more differentiated characterisation of depression in order to assess it more adequately in the future. Disclosures Nothing to disclose.