Neural Noise- Longitudinal clinical and neurophysiological metrics in Parkinson’s disease over four and a half years have been characterized.1
- These dynamics inform biomarker development and DBS/neuroprosthetics trial design.1
- The work is tier-1 (Nature) with a disease-progression and clinical-neurophysiology focus.1 1
Weekly enrichment (2026-07-20)
- The primary study is a 4.5-year cohort study published in Scientific Reports (2025; DOI 10.1038/s41598-025-13558-3), described by the authors as one of the longest clinical-electrophysiological follow-ups in Parkinson’s disease (PD) to date.2
- The cohort comprised 22 patients spanning early and advanced PD, assessed with both Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) scores and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) measures of cortical excitability.2 3
- The cortical silent period (CSP), a marker of GABAergic inhibition, progressively lengthened over time and was associated with motor decline, supporting its potential as a dynamic, non-invasive, and scalable biomarker of disease progression.2 3
- Resting motor threshold (rMT) and motor asymmetry also deteriorated longitudinally, and the changes were most pronounced following the COVID-19 pandemic, suggesting environmental stressors may accelerate PD pathophysiology.2
- Reported effect sizes across both the more-affected and less-affected hemispheres were significant for rMT (p = 0.001, partial η² = 0.31–0.32), MEP duration (p < 0.015, partial η² = 0.18–0.27), and CSP (p < 0.001, partial η² = 0.34–0.51).2
- CSP duration increases were especially prominent in early-stage PD, and the longitudinal changes were independent of sex, indicating persistent cortical reorganization over several years.2 3
- Broader neurophysiology work supports subthalamic beta oscillations (13–35 Hz) as symptom-specific biomarkers of bradykinesia and rigidity; a 33-patient local-field-potential study found beta power, center frequency, and spatial distribution remained stable enough for beta-guided DBS programming, with active therapeutic contacts showing higher normalized beta power than inactive contacts (p < 0.0001).4
- These physiomarkers underpin adaptive/closed-loop deep brain stimulation (aDBS), where clinical severity correlates with cumulative beta-burst time and burst rate, informing sensing-guided neuroprosthetic and DBS trial design referenced in this topic’s clinical links.4 5