Parkinson's disease progression is shaped by longitudinal changes in cerebral compensation.

ABSTRACT: Parkinson's disease is a common and debilitating neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor slowing (bradykinesia), which is thought to arise mainly owing to nigrostriatal dopaminergic cell loss. Paradoxically, longitudinal changes in striatal dopamine are poorly related to the progression of bradykinesia, indicating that other pathophysiological mechanisms play a role. In line with this, cross-sectional studies have shown that more benign motor phenotypes of Parkinson's disease are characterized by increased activity in the parieto-premotor cortex, indicative of cerebral compensation. However, the role of cerebral compensation in disease progression remains unclear. Here, we used a longitudinal design to test the hypothesis that the clinical progression of bradykinesia in Parkinson

SUBMITTER: Johansson ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12782169 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature