Abstract：
Parkinson\'s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder primarily associated with motor dysfunctions. By the time of definitive diagnosis, about 60% of dopaminergic neurons have already been lost; moreover, even if dopaminergic drugs are highly effective in symptoms control, they only help maintaining a near-healthy condition when started as soon as possible. Therefore, interest in identifying early biomarkers of PD has grown in recent years, especially using neurophysiological techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG). This study aims to investigate brain complexity differences in PD patients compared to healthy controls, focusing on the beta band using approximate entropy (ApEn) analysis of resting-state EEG recordings. Sixty participants were recruited, including 25 PD patients and 35 healthy elderly subjects, matched for age and gender. EEG were recorded for each participant and ApEn values were computed in the beta 1 (13-20 Hz) and beta 2 (20-30 Hz) frequency bands for each EEG-channel and for ROIs. PD patients showed statistically lower ApEn values compared to controls in both beta 1 and beta 2 bands. Regarding electrodes analysis, beta 1 band alterations were found in frontocentral areas, while beta 2 band alterations were observed in centroparietal and frontocentral areas. Considering ROIs, statistically lower ApEn values for PD patients has been reported in central and parietal ROIs in the beta 2 band. Complexity reduction in these areas may underlie beta oscillatory activity dysfunction, reflecting impaired cortical mechanisms associated with motor dysfunction in PD. The results suggest that ApEn analysis of resting EEG activity may serve as a potential tool for early PD detection. Further studies are necessary to validate this approach in PD diagnosis and rehabilitation planning.
摘要：
帕金森病（PD）是一种进行性神经退行性疾病，主要与运动功能障碍有关。到确诊时，大约60%的多巴胺能神经元已经丢失；此外，即使多巴胺能药物在控制症状方面非常有效，他们只会在尽快开始时帮助保持接近健康的状态。因此,近年来，人们对识别PD早期生物标志物的兴趣越来越大，特别是使用神经生理学技术，如脑电图（EEG）。这项研究旨在调查与健康对照组相比，PD患者的大脑复杂性差异。使用静息状态脑电图记录的近似熵（ApEn）分析重点关注β波段。招募了60名参与者，包括25名PD患者和35名健康老年受试者，年龄和性别相匹配。记录每个参与者的EEG，并在每个EEG通道和ROI的β1（13-20Hz）和β2（20-30Hz）频带中计算ApEn值。与对照组相比，PD患者在β1和β2条带中显示出统计学上较低的ApEn值。关于电极分析，在额中央区发现了β1带改变，而在中心顶叶和额中央区域观察到β2带改变。考虑到ROI,在β2波段的中央和顶叶ROI中，PD患者的ApEn值在统计学上较低。这些区域的复杂性降低可能是β振荡活动功能障碍的基础，反映与PD运动功能障碍相关的皮质机制受损。结果表明，对静息EEG活动的ApEn分析可能是早期PD检测的潜在工具。需要进一步的研究来验证这种方法在PD诊断和康复计划中的应用。
