Disentangling motor planning and motor execution in unmedicated de novo Parkinson's disease patients: An fMRI study

Publication date: Available online 19 March 2019Source: NeuroImage: ClinicalAuthor(s): Jason A. Martin, Nadine Zimmermann, Lukas Scheef, Jakob Jankowski, Sebastian Paus, Hans H. Schild, Thomas Klockgether, Henning BoeckerAbstractMany studies have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to unravel the neuronal underpinnings of motor system abnormalities in Parkinson's disease, indicating functional inhibition at the level of basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical motor networks. The study aim was to extend the characterization of functional motor changes in Parkinson's Disease by dissociating between two phases of action (i.e. motor planning and motor execution) during an automated unilateral finger movement sequence with the left and right hand, separately. In essence, we wished to identify neuronal dysfunction and potential neuronal compensation before (planning) and during (execution) automated sequential motor behavior in unmedicated early stage Parkinson's Disease patients. Twenty-two Parkinson's Disease patients (14 males; 53 ± 11 years; Hoehn and Yahr score 1.4 ± 0.6; UPDRS (part 3) motor score 16 ± 6) and 22 healthy controls (14 males; 49 ± 12 years) performed a pre-learnt four finger sequence (index, ring, middle and little finger, in order), either self-initiated (FREE) or externally triggered (REACT), within an 8-second time window. Findings were most pronounced during FREE with the clinically most affected side, where motor execution revealed sig...
Source: NeuroImage: Clinical - Category: Radiology Source Type: research