Hybridopa program leads to changes in brain networks involved in movement

Written by Michela Luciano, PhD | July 28, 2026

• Hybridopa, a digital app combined with levodopa, eased Parkinson's motor symptoms.
• This therapy induced structural and functional brain changes, suggesting neuroplasticity.
• It offers an integrated treatment approach for Parkinson's, with a Phase 3 trial planned.

Patients participating in a three-week digital intervention program designed to complement levodopa, the standard treatment for Parkinson’s disease, showed measurable structural and functional changes in brain networks involved in movement, accompanied by meaningful easing of motor symptoms.

The pilot study evaluated Remepy‘s investigational hybrid therapy, Hybridopa, in 32 adults with Parkinson’s disease who had participated in a Phase 2a trial. That study showed that people receiving Hybridopa, which combines levodopa with a prescription digital program called DopApp, experienced greater easing of motor and nonmotor symptoms than those given levodopa along with a placebo app.

The Phase 2a trial also found functional changes in brain networks involved in movement and mood regulation. The new findings add evidence of structural changes in those movement-related brain networks.

Remepy said the results suggest that Hybridopa may promote neuroplasticity — the brain’s ability to reorganize and strengthen its neural connections in response to learning — helping explain the clinical benefits seen in the earlier trial.

“Our Phase IIa trial showed that Hybridopa delivers meaningful clinical improvements for people living with Parkinson’s disease,” Or Shoval, cofounder and co-CEO of Remepy, said in a company press release. “This publication helps explain the neural mechanisms underlying those effects.”

Phase 3 trial planned

“Together, these findings support a shift in Parkinson’s treatment toward integrated approaches that combine pharmacological therapy with structured, system-level digital interventions,” said Michal Tsur, PhD, cofounder and co-CEO of Remepy. “This growing body of clinical and mechanistic evidence … is what motivates us to advance Hybridopa into Phase III later this year.”

The study, “Local and global microstructural and functional thalamomotor connectivity alterations in Parkinson’s disease following motor learning,” was published in npj Parkinson’s Disease.

Parkinson’s is caused by the progressive loss of nerve cells that produce dopamine, a brain chemical essential for controlling movement. In addition to motor symptoms, the disease can also cause nonmotor problems, including cognitive impairment. Although levodopa remains the standard Parkinson’s treatment, some motor symptoms often remain inadequately controlled.