Overview
- An international Nature study of 863 participants identifies somato‑cognitive action network (SCAN) hyperconnectivity with subcortical regions as a Parkinson’s signature linked to symptom severity.
- Across levodopa, deep‑brain stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation and focused ultrasound, better outcomes aligned with greater reductions in SCAN connectivity.
- In a randomized comparison, SCAN‑targeted transcranial magnetic stimulation produced a 56% two‑week response rate versus 22% with adjacent‑area targeting, with 18 patients per arm.
- Investigators and affiliated startups are advancing larger trials and precision devices for SCAN‑targeted neuromodulation, and Galaxy Brain Scientific says a pivotal registration trial has begun in China.
- Separately, Keck Medicine of USC is conducting an early‑phase, multisite trial implanting iPSC‑derived dopamine cells in 12 patients to restore dopamine production.