Alterations of cerebrovascular reactivity and morphologies in de novo Parkinson's disease

Increasing evidence showed that vascular changes might be involved in Parkinson's disease. However, the altered markers of neurovascular unit and cerebral vessels that serve as blood flow adaptors, remain unclear in early stage of de novo PD. In this study, we aimed to investigate regional cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and artery morphological changes in de novo PD patients including cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and normal cognition (PD-NC). Our data revealed that in the patient group, CVR was significantly reduced in left superior occipital gyrus, whose feeding arteries were dilated, but there was no significant change in CBF.