Reconceiving Parkinson’s Disease as a Whole-Brain Action Network Disorder

We have long framed Parkinson’s disease (PD) as dopaminergic degeneration within basal ganglia motor and nonmotor pathways. That model explains tremor and rigidity but doesn’t fully account for the cognitive, motivational, and autonomic features we see in patients. Could PD represent a disorder of a broader, integrated brain network?

In an imaging study using multiple complementary techniques in 863 individuals, investigators examined the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), a recently described network linking movement, cognition, motivation, and autonomic control. They evaluated whether PD reflects SCAN dysfunction and whether established therapies exert benefit by modulating this network.