Similarity of brain parts affected from a recession and areas for those with Parkinson’s

Abstract

Financial hardship and negative wealth shocks have been linked to accelerated cognitive decline and elevated dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults, with neuroimaging studies implicating decision-making circuits. Neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease produce degeneration that impair memory and executive function. Given that poor financial decision-making itself predicts incident dementia and cognitive decline, it remains unclear whether the brain regions destabilized by economic stress overlap with those affected in neurodegenerative disease. Current research has not looked into the similarity of brain parts affected by a recession and parts affected by neurodegenerative disease to clearly identify the link between major financial hardship and multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Using Google Colab and the open-source tools: Freesurfer and Fastsurfer, the researchers used these tools to work with two datasets: the MIDUS Project 3 (after the economic recession) with 29 participants with Parkinson’s and 135 without Parkinson's and the BrainLat project (no economic hardship during the recession) with 41 participants with Parkinson's. There was a statistically significant difference between hemisphere laterality and asymmetry and brain age compared to the control and PD groups for both MIDUS (p=0.0308) and Brainlat (p=0.02494). Analyzing the T1 scans from MIDUS, the researchers found a statistically significant correlation with right amygdala volume loss and economic hardship during recession (p=0.0321). Results from the research conducted add to previous research looking at major financial events and Parkinson’s through finding similarities between affected areas, and it warrants further analysis to make a thorough connection.