New Hope for Parkinson’s Patients: Brain Network Targeting Doubles Treatment Effect

A new scientific study suggests that Parkinson’s disease may be treated more effectively by focusing on specific brain networks rather than only single brain regions. Early results indicate that this approach could double the improvement in symptoms for some patients.

What the new research found

Scientists identified a brain network called the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN). This network connects areas responsible for movement, thinking, attention, and planning.

In people with Parkinson’s disease, this network shows abnormal hyperconnectivity—meaning the connections between certain brain regions become overly active and unbalanced.

When treatments were directed specifically at nodes of this network:

• Symptoms improved more than with traditional targeting.
• In a small group of patients, non-invasive stimulation more than doubled symptom improvement compared with stimulation of nearby areas.
• Effective treatments were seen to reduce the abnormal connectivity of the SCAN network.

Why this is important

Traditionally, Parkinson’s was seen mainly as a problem in certain movement-related brain nuclei.
But this study suggests:

• Parkinson’s affects entire brain networks, not just single regions.
• This explains why patients often have non-motor symptoms like sleep problems, fatigue, and cognitive issues.
• Treatments can become more effective if they target the network causing the dysfunction.

Treatments that could benefit from this approach

Researchers analyzed several therapies, including:

• Levodopa (standard Parkinson’s medication)
• Deep brain stimulation (DBS)
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
• Focused ultrasound

All of these showed better results when they reduced abnormal activity in the SCAN network.

Is this available to patients now?

Not yet. Experts say:

• The findings are promising but still need clinical trials.
• More research is required before this approach becomes part of routine treatment.

✅ In simple terms:
Instead of treating just one part of the brain, doctors may soon treat the whole network that causes Parkinson’s symptoms. Early studies show this could make therapies up to twice as effective