Different functional connectivity modes of the right fronto-insular cortex in akinetic-rigid and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease

Background Patients with akinetic-rigid Parkinson’s disease (AR-PD) are more prone to cognitive decline and depressive symptoms than tremor-dominant PD (TD-PD) patients. The right fronto-insular cortex (rFIC), as a key node of salience network, plays a critical role in the switching between central executive network and default mode network. In this study, we explored the functional connectivity mode of rFIC with triple-brain networks, namely default mode network, salience network, and central executive network, in two motor subtypes of PD. Methods We recruited 44 PD patients (including the TD-PD group and AR-PD group) and 18 age-matched healthy controls (HCs). We performed functional connectivity (FC) analysis of resting-state functional MRI. Results Compared with TD-PD, decreased FC were found in the right insular cortex and bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus in AR-PD. Compared with HCs, decreased FC in the bilateral insula, the anterior cingulate gyrus, the precentral gyrus, and the right medial frontal gyrus were found; therein, the FC value of rFIC-precentral gyrus was positively correlated with the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-II score in AR-PD ( p = 0.0482, r = 0.4162). While TD-PD showed decreased FC in the left insula as well as bilateral anterior cingulate gyrus when compared with HCs, and the FC value of the rFIC-left insula was positively correlated with its Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score ( p = 0.02, r = 0.50). Conclusion The functional connectivity mode of rFIC in AR-PD differed from that in TD-PD. The decreased rFIC FC with the other nodes of salience network might be a potential indicator for AR-PD patients prone to develop cognitive decline and depressive symptoms.