Disruption of locus coeruleus-related functional networks in Parkinson's disease.

Locus coeruleus (LC) is severely affected in Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, alterations in LC-related resting-state networks (RSNs) in PD remain unclear. We used resting-state functional MRI to investigate the alterations in functional connectivity (FC) of LC-related RSNs and the associations between RSNs changes and clinical features in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and PD patients with (PD) and without RBD (PD). There was a similarly disrupted FC pattern of LC-related RSNs in iRBD and PD patients, whereas LC-related RSNs were less damaged in PD patients than that in patients with iRBD and PD. The FC of LC-related RSNs correlated with cognition and duration in iRBD, depression in PD, and cognition and severity of RBD in patients with PD. Our findings demonstrate that LC-related RSNs are significantly disrupted in the prodromal stage of α-synucleinopathies and proposed body-first PD (PD), but are less affected in brain-first PD (PD).