Practical Geriatrics ›› 2026, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (9): 924-928.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-9198.2026.09.012

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Correlation between MRI imaging parameters and cognitive dysfunction in elderly patients with Parkinson’s disease

JIANG Lei, LIU Ying, ZENG Hui   

  1. Imaging Center, State Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Prevention of High-incidence Diseases in Central Asia (Jointly Built by Ministry of Health and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region), the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830018, China
  • Received:2026-03-24 Online:2026-09-20 Published:2026-09-16

Abstract: Objective To explore the predictive value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters for cognitive impairment (CI) in elderly patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods A retrospective, nested case-control study was conducted. A total of 65 patients with PD complicated with CI, admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from April 2023 to June 2025, were enrolled as the PD-CI group. Concurrently, 65 PD patients without CI were selected as the PD group. Both groups underwent MRI scans, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) were recorded. Clinical data of both groups were collected. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors of CI in elderly PD patients, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was employed to evaluate the value of MRI imaging parameters in predicting the occurrence of CI in PD patients. Results Compared with the PD group, the PD-CI group had fewer years of education, longer disease duration, and a higher proportion of Hoehn-Yahr (H-Y) stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ (P<0.05). Compared with the PD group, the PD-CI group showed increased ADC levels and decreased FA values in the substantia nigra (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that long disease duration, H-Y stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, and high ADC levels were risk factors for CI in elderly PD patients, while high FA was a protective factor. ROC curve analysis results showed that the AUC(95%CI) for predicting CI in elderly PD when combining ADC and FA was 0.894 (0.828-0.941), which was higher than that of ADC and FA alone [0.790(0.709-0.856) and 0.787(0.706-0.853), Z=2.008, 1.990, P<0.05, respectively]. Conclusions ADC and FA of the substantia nigra are influencing factors for the occurrence of CI in elderly PD patients, and the combination of ADC and FA has a good predictive value for the occurrence of CI in elderly patients with PD.

Key words: Parkinson’s disease, aged, magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, cognitive dysfunction

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