Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves cortical functional topological properties and intracortical facilitation in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Our study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms of taVNS in the motor symptoms of PD, focusing on the topological properties of cortical functional networks and cortical excitability. Thirty-two PD patients underwent functional near-infrared spectroscopy and transcranial magnetic stimulation evaluation prior to and after two-week taVNS, which were controlled by 20 healthy controls (HCs). PD patients exhibited decreased nodal efficiency (Ne) in the right M1 and increased Ne in the left pre-motor and supplementary motor area compared with HCs.

Altered effective connectivity in Parkinson's disease patients with rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study and support vector machine analysis.

Background: Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is associated with pathological α-synuclein deposition and may have different damage directions due to α-synuclein spreading orientations. Recent functional imaging studies of Parkinson's disease (PD) with RBD have identified abnormalities in connectivity, but effective connectivity (EC) for this altered orientation is understudied. Here, we aimed to explore altered intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) and EC in PD patients with probable RBD (pRBD).

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves anxiety symptoms and cortical activity during verbal fluency task in Parkinson's disease with anxiety.

Objective: To investigate the effect of 20/4Hz transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on anxiety symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) and the potential neural mechanism.

Methods: In the current randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 30 PD patients with anxiety (PD-A), 30 PD patients without anxiety (PD-nA), and 30 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. PD-A patients were randomly (1:1) allotted to real taVNS stimulation group (RS) or sham stimulation group (SS) to explore the efficacy of a two-week treatment of taVNS to promote anxiety recovery.

Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation improves gait and cortical activity in Parkinson's disease: A pilot randomized study.

Objective: In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, we explored the effect of 20 Hz transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on gait impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and investigated the underlying neural mechanism.

Methods: In total, 22 PD patients and 14 healthy controls were enrolled. PD patients were randomized (1:1) to receive active or sham taVNS (same position as active taVNS group but without releasing current) twice a day for 1 week.

Impaired interhemispheric synchrony in Parkinson's disease patients with apathy.

Background: Apathy is a common non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD), yet the neural mechanism remains unknown. It has been reported that the lateralization of dopamine levels is correlated with apathetic symptoms. We aimed to ascertain the role of lateralization in the neuropathogenesis of apathy in PD.

Impaired Interhemispheric Synchrony in Parkinson's Disease with Fatigue.

The characteristics of interhemispheric resting-state functional connectivity (FC) in Parkinson's disease (PD) with fatigue remain unclear; therefore, we aimed to explore the changes in interhemispheric FC in PD patients with fatigue. Sixteen PD patients with fatigue (PDF), 16 PD patients without fatigue (PDNF) and 15 matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in the retrospective cross-sectional study. We used voxel-mirrored homotopic connectivity (VMHC) to analyze the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data of these subjects.

rs6265 single-nucleotide polymorphism is involved in levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease via its regulation of the cortical thickness of the left postcentral gyrus.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor () gene rs6265 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is thought to be involved in neuroplasticity and influence the development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson's disease (PD). This study aimed to determine how the rs6265 SNP regulates cortical thickness and to investigate the association between and the pathological mechanisms of LID in PD.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 75 patients with PD, including 37 patients with LID and 38 patients without LID, and 33 healthy controls.

The increased gray matter volumes of precentral gyri in Parkinson's disease patients with diphasic dyskinesia.

Abnormal dopaminergic modulation of the cortico-basal ganglia motor loops results in the emergence of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). We focused on alterations in the gray matter (GM) volume and the cortical thickness of the brain, especially in cortico-basal ganglia motor loops, in Parkinson's disease (PD) with diphasic dyskinesia. 48 PD patients with diphasic dyskinesia, 60 PD patients without dyskinesia and 48 healthy controls (HC) were included.