Longitudinal changes of resting-state networks in Parkinson‘s disease

Deep brain stimulation (DBS), but also the sole implantation of the electrodes and dopaminergic medication, can reduce symptoms in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Furthermore, an effect on network activity is known for all three options separately. However, long-term effects have rarely been investigated. Therefore, in the present study, we focus on the long-term impact of dopaminergic medication on whole-brain network activity following DBS electrode implantation.

Therefore, we extracted resting state networks (RSNs) of 20 PD patients (4 females, (59.00 ± 9.72 years) from magnetoencephalography data. We recorded 30 min of resting-state activity two days before and one year after implantation of the electrodes with and without dopaminergic medication, but DBS was turned off. RSNs were obtained based on the phase-amplitude coupling between a low-frequency phase and a high gamma amplitude and examined for differences between conditions (i.e., pre- vs. post-surgery).

We identified three RSNs across all conditions: sensory-motor, visual, and frontal. Each RSN was selectively altered due to a year of disease progression – while patients being treated with dopaminergic medication and DBS. In line with previous literature, we focus on longitudinal changes in RSNs over time after electrode implantation, acknowledging that chronic DBS treatment and other factors may confound the interpretation of these changes. In addition, the alterations found were RSN specific, as dopaminergic medication showed a greater impact on the frontal RSN, and the longitudinal factor expressed by the disease progression was more severe in alterations in the SMN and the visual RSN.