Resting-state fMRI reveals increased functional connectivity in the cerebellum but decreased functional connectivity of the caudate nucleus in Parkinson's disease.

Discussion: We found increased functional connectivity among cerebellar structures in PD, which may reflect an adaptive (compensatory) mechanism through activation of additional brain structures to restore gait function. In contrast, a relative disconnection between the precuneus and caudate nucleus in PD patients might indicate an impaired brain network unrelated to the risk of falls. Cerebellar areas might thus be considered as future therapeutic targets for neuromodulatory treatment of postural instability in PD.Abbreviations: DMN: default mode network; FC: functional connectivity; IPL: inferior parietal lobule; MMSE: Minimal Mental Status Examination; PD: Parkinson's disease; rs-fMRI: resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging; UPDRSIII: Unified Parkinson's disease ranking scale. PMID: 31900094 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Neurological Research - Category: Neurology Tags: Neurol Res Source Type: research