International Journal of Clinical Medicine Research 2019; 6(5): 39-44 http://www.aascit.org/journal/ijcmr ISSN: 2375-3838 Correlation Between Diffusion Tensor Imaging Method Results and the SCOPA-COG in Parkinson's Disease Elahe Hoseini 1 , Fariborz Faeghi 1, * , Farzad Ashrafi 2 , Ali Hekmatnia 3 1 Radiology Technology Department, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 2 Neurology Brain Mapping Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran 3 Department of Radiology, Esfahan University of Medical Sciences, Esfahan, Iran Email address * Corresponding author Citation Elahe Hoseini, Fariborz Faeghi, Farzad Ashrafi, Ali Hekmatnia. Correlation Between Diffusion Tensor Imaging Method Results and the SCOPA-COG in Parkinson's Disease. International Journal of Clinical Medicine Research. Vol. 6, No. 5, 2019, pp. 39-44. Received: July 9, 2018; Accepted: August 13, 2019; Published: November 12, 2019 Abstract: Back ground: Cognitive impairments play an important role in Parkinson's disease (PD). Objective: In this study, the relationship between the Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) method and the SCOPA-Cog clinical test was investigated in different domains of cognitive impairment. Method: This study was performed on 20 patients with clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) parameters were calculated by drawing region of interest (ROI) on 15 distinct areas. Cognitive impairment was evaluated using the SCOPA-Cog standard test. Conclusion: The results of investigation of the relationship between the DTI method and SCOPA-Cog clinical test showed that changes in FA and MD values in the Fornix area were significant compared to SCOPA test results. We found correlations between DTI parameters and executive function score in some regions such as Genu, superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (SFOF), anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC) and posterior corona radiata (PCR). The results showed that there is a significant relationship between DTI parameters and visuospatial score in parieto-occipital domain. The results indicate that there is a correlation between DTI method and the SCOPA clinical test. This information can be used to measure sensitivity and reliability of SCOPA test in early detection of Parkinson's disease. Keywords: Cognitive Dysfunction, Parkinson Disease, Diffusion Tensor Imaging, White matter, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Brain, Fractional Anisotropy, Mean Diffusivity 1. Introduction Parkinson's disease is a progressive degenerative disease. Parkinson's is the second most commonly reported neurodegenerative disease [1]. This disease is associated with motor symptoms such as muscle stiffness and tremble, imbalance, slow motion, and non-motor symptoms such as cognitive disorder, visual disturbances, sleep disturbances, depression, etc [2]. In this disease, 50 to 70 percent of the dopaminergic neurons are degraded in the substantia nigra. In addition to the dopaminergic neurons other neuronal populations that also include the parts of the locus coeruleus (noradrenergic), raphe nucleus (serotonergic), Meynert nucleus, dorsal motor nucleus of vagus (cholinergic), cingulate cortex, entorinal cortex, olfactory bulb and sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia of the intestine. This disease is caused by an imbalance between stimulation and inhibition in the basal ganglia due to dopaminergic putamen inhibition [3, 4]. Cognitive deficits related with PD can be influenced by multiple domains, including executive function, memory, Visuospatial skills, attention, and language. Although these cognitive disorders are prevalent, a range of disorders and neural basis of cognitive impairment in PD is not completely clear [5, 6]. One of the clinical tools for diagnosis of cognitive impairment in Parkinson's patients is to use neurocognitive tests such as Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Cognition (SCOPA-Cog). In this test, memory, learning, attention, performance, and spatial visibility disorders are evaluated [7].