"The common factor underlying these seemingly disconnected symptoms, according to the new results, is a brain network that was only discovered in 2023. Called the somato-cognitive action network, or SCAN, it links the mind and the body to turn thoughts into actions. The researchers found that targeting this network with brain-stimulating treatments could better alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's disease."
"Parkinson's is not just a movement problem involving one body part. This study shows it is a whole-body brain network disorder that links movement, thinking, arousal and internal body control, says Michael Okun, a neurologist at the University of Florida and medical director of the Parkinson's Foundation, who was not involved in the study. It's an extraordinary set of findings, says Todd Herrington, a neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who treats and studies Parkinson's."
Parkinson's has hallmark movement symptoms including involuntary muscle contractions, tremor and difficulty walking, and nonmotor disruptions of sleep, blood pressure regulation, digestion and cognition. A brain network called the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), discovered in 2023, links mind and body to convert thoughts into actions. Disruption of SCAN can explain why movement symptoms change with stress or music and why diverse autonomic and cognitive symptoms co-occur. Targeting SCAN with brain-stimulating treatments offers a path to more precise, effective symptom relief. The primary motor cortex (M1) controls movement, but SCAN connects motor control with arousal and internal bodily regulation.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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