Brain Network Discovery Could Transform Parkinson's Care

A breakthrough discovery is transforming how doctors understand and treat Parkinson's disease, offering new hope to millions living with the condition.

Scientists found that Parkinson's disrupts a brain network called SCAN (somato-cognitive action network) that bridges the mind and body to turn thoughts into actions. The network was only discovered in 2023, and researchers published their findings today in Nature.

For nearly a century, doctors believed Parkinson's was purely a movement disorder causing tremors and difficulty walking. But the disease also affects sleep, blood pressure, digestion, and thinking in ways that seemed mysterious.

The new research explains these puzzling connections. When researchers analyzed brain scans from 863 people with Parkinson's and healthy individuals, they found the SCAN network was overconnected in those with the disease. The stronger the overconnection, the worse the symptoms.

"Parkinson's is not just a movement problem involving one body part," says Michael Okun, a neurologist at the University of Florida. "This study shows it is a whole-body brain network disorder that links movement, thinking, arousal and internal body control."

The discovery started when neuroscientist Nico Dosenbach at Washington University noticed something odd in brain scans. When people moved their mouth, multiple unexpected areas of the motor cortex lit up, not just the "mouth" region.

His team realized the motor cortex does more than follow orders from other brain regions. It actively helps plan, guide and coordinate movement through the SCAN network.

Why This Inspires

This finding is already pointing toward better treatments. The research team discovered that targeting SCAN specifically with brain stimulation improved symptoms more effectively than current approaches.

Existing Parkinson's medications and brain stimulation already help by reducing SCAN overconnectivity, the study found. The more a treatment normalized someone's SCAN activity, the more their movement improved.

Doctors can now design treatments that precisely target this network using techniques like transcranial magnetic stimulation, where a magnetic coil placed over the scalp stimulates specific brain areas.

Neurologist Todd Herrington at Massachusetts General Hospital, who wasn't involved in the research, called the findings "extraordinary." The discovery gives doctors a clearer target for helping people with Parkinson's live better lives.

Understanding that Parkinson's affects a mind-body network rather than just movement opens doors to treatments that address the full range of symptoms people experience.