Is a newly discovered brain network the bridge between Parkinson’s symptoms?

Most people know Parkinson’s Disease as a movement disorder, but anyone affected by it knows it is much more than that. Parkinson’s symptoms affect every aspect of daily living, from sleep to movement to mental health. Dysfunction in brain regions that control movement contribute to movement problems, but it does not explain why Parkinson’s also causes many other symptoms.

However, researchers recently discovered a special set of brain cell connections that act like a whole-mind-and-body action network, where all our movements, bodily functions, and behaviours are coordinated in harmony so we can achieve our goals. Because this brain network integrates almost every function in the body, the authors of this study wondered whether this had anything to do with Parkinson’s.

Why is the study important?

The authors investigated whether Parkinson’s symptoms were in any way related to problems with our whole-body coordinator. So far, scientists know that Parkinson’s causes damage to specific brain regions that are responsible for movement. As brain cells (neurons) in those regions slowly die, they cannot produce dopamine, which causes the troublesome symptoms in Parkinson’s. However, targeting these brain regions through treatment does not fully relieve all symptoms or slow the disease’s progression. By understanding how Parkinson’s affects other brain networks, they can develop more effective treatments.

What did the authors do and how did they do it?

The authors completed a series of important experiments, which can basically be summarised by three main questions:

1. Is there a specific pattern of activity between the brain networks in Parkinson’s patients?

To investigate this, they studied a large number of brain images and measurements of brain cell activity from Parkinson’s patients. They also compared these measurements with those from other movement disorders to see if there were connectivity patterns specific to Parkinson’s.

2. If this whole-body coordinator is indeed relevant to Parkinson’s, are effective treatments already affecting this network?

The authors tested whether current Parkinson’s treatments are already affecting this brain network. First, they compared the images of brain activity from Parkinson’s patients from before and after undergoing deep brain stimulation surgery. This procedure inserts small thin wires into specific brain regions to deliver small electrical impulses that change brain activity. Then, they had another group of Parkinson’s patients complete a small movement test while on levodopa (a commonly prescribed, dopamine-producing medication). During the test, the authors used functional magnetic resonance imaging, which is a technique that measures brain activity.

3. Does directly targeting this network improve symptoms better than targeting the areas that control specific body parts?

To determine this, the authors used a technique that sends magnetic pulses into certain areas of the brain. They split Parkinson’s patients into two groups: one group received magnetic pulses into the specific brain areas that control movement, while the other received magnetic pulses that directly targeted the whole-body coordinator. This was to see which group would see better improvement in symptoms.

What are the results?

The authors’ study produced very intriguing results. Let’s break them down:

First, Parkinson’s-relevant brain regions had an abnormally strong connection to the whole-body coordinator. If you picture an orchestra, this like the conductor that coordinates all the members (i.e. deep brain structures). Essentially, this communication between the conductor and brain structures is too strong. Additionally, this abnormal connection was specific to Parkinson’s, not to other movement disorders such as dystonia or motor neuron disease.

Secondly, the authors found that treatments like levodopa and deep brain stimulation actually reduce this abnormal connection, which in turn reduces symptoms.
Finally, in the magnetic stimulation experiment, they observed that targeting the “conductor” directly improved symptoms better than just targeting specific movement areas.

What do the findings mean going forward for people with the disease?

These findings provide promising new avenues for both detecting and managing Parkinson’s. Because the abnormal conductor-to-deep-brain connection was specific to Parkinson’s and not other movement disorders, clinicians may be able to use this marker as a diagnostic tool. Additionally, as scientists better understand this brain network’s role in Parkinson’s, they can make more targeted and effective treatments to reduce symptoms.

This study can be found at www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-10059-1

Lead Authors
Jianxun Ren, Hesheng Liu

Publication details including date of publication
Nature, Vol. 651, 26 March 2026
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-10059-1