The relatioship between paracingulate sulcus length and visual hallucinations in Parkinson disease suggests a neurobilogical predisposition

OpenAlex English

Visual hallucinations (VH) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), yet their mechanisms remain poorly understood. Several studies have investigated structural brain correlates of Parkinsonian VH, but critical gaps in knowledge persist. An inverse relationship between auditory hallucinations and paracingulate sulcus (PCS) length, associated with reality-monitoring mechanisms, has been reported. This study examines the relationship between PCS length and VH in PD patients. Sixty-five PD patients (aged 48-81 years) meeting diagnostic criteria were included. The University of Miami Parkinson's Disease Hallucinations Questionnaire was used to classify patients into PD with VH (PDVH, n = 32) or PD without VH (PDnonVH, n = 33) groups. PCS length was measured using sagittal T1-weighted MRI scans, and total intracranial volume was calculated. Clinical and neuropsychometric assessments were also performed. No significant demographic or clinical differences were found between groups. Total PCS length was significantly shorter in the PDVH group (68.56 ± 38.03 mm) compared to the PDnonVH group (106.36 ± 48.77 mm; p < .01). Right and left PCS lengths were also shorter in the PDVH group (p < .01). Visual immediate and long-term memory scores were significantly lower in the PDVH group (p < .01, p < .05, respectively), while Spatial Boundaries Subtest recognition scores were higher (p < .05). In the PDVH group, semantic fluency scores positively correlated with PCS length (p < .05). Reduced PCS length increased the likelihood of VH (β =-0.020, Odds Ratio = 0.980, p < .01). PCS length may serve as a biomarker indicative of anatomical structures associated with reality-monitoring mechanisms and biological predisposition to hallucinations in patients with PD.