By Simon Spichak, MSc Published On: April 22, 2026 "Originally published on Being Patient, an editorially independent news site covering the latest research on Alzheimer’s disease and brain health.”
Parkinson’s disease (PD) begins deep in the brain as dopamine-producing neurons progressively die off.
The brain regions where these cells die have been viewed as silos, with the main symptoms affecting more than one million Americans — tremors, slow movements, muscle rigidity and postural problems — attributed to degeneration of these areas.
A recent study published in Nature zooms out to focus on how these networks of neurons interact within a single coordinated network of firing neurons.
The network, called the somato-cognitive action network (SCAN), helps plan and coordinate actions and movements, and may provide a better explanation for what goes wrong in Parkinson’s. This may also help account for other symptoms like pain, apathy and problems with blood pressure regulation.
“The idea grew out of a simple observation: Parkinson’s disease affects far more than isolated movements,” study author Hesheng Liu, a brain scientist at Changping Laboratory and Peking University in Beijing, told Being Patient. “Patients do not merely lose control of specific muscles — they lose the smooth integration of thought and action across the whole body.”
Modulating how cells fire in this brain network also provides a novel target for treating Parkinson’s, though more trials and studies are needed before these findings make their way into the neurologist’s office.
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