Researchers have identified a brain network that appears to be responsible for core features of Parkinson's disease. The somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), first described by Dosenbach in Nature in 2023, lies within the motor cortex and links movement planning and feedback with cognitive processes. The study was led by China's Changping Laboratory in collaboration with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and other partners.
The team assembled brain imaging from more than 800 participants across institutions in the US and China. The sample included people with Parkinson's who had deep brain stimulation (DBS) or noninvasive treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), focused ultrasound stimulation and medications, plus healthy volunteers and patients with other movement disorders. Analysis showed that Parkinson's is marked by hyperconnectivity between SCAN and the subcortex, a region involved in emotion, memory and motor control. All four therapies tended to be most effective when they reduced this hyperconnectivity and helped normalize the circuit for planning and coordinating action.
In a clinical trial, 18 patients who received SCAN-targeted TMS showed a 56% response rate after two weeks, compared with 22% in 18 patients who received stimulation at adjacent areas — about a 2.5-fold increase in efficacy. The researchers note that noninvasive treatments could allow earlier neuromodulation than DBS because they do not require surgery. Next steps include planned clinical trials with Turing Medical to test surface electrode strips over SCAN for gait dysfunction and studies of low-intensity focused ultrasound. The work received support from multiple research funders in China and the United States.
Difficult words
- somato-cognitive action network — brain network linking movement and thinking processes
- motor cortex — brain area that controls voluntary movement
- hyperconnectivity — stronger than normal connections between brain regions
- subcortex — brain region under the cerebral cortex
- deep brain stimulation — surgical treatment using implanted electrical stimulation
- transcranial magnetic stimulation — noninvasive technique using magnetic pulses to stimulate brain
- neuromodulation — changing brain activity with targeted interventions
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How might targeting SCAN with noninvasive treatments change care for people with Parkinson's?
- What are possible advantages and disadvantages of reducing hyperconnectivity between SCAN and the subcortex?
- If you were designing a follow-up trial, what outcomes would you measure to test SCAN-targeted therapies?
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