Research report 2025 - Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
The electrical signature of Parkinson’s disease
Authors
Gerster, Moritz
Departments
Max-Planck-Institut für Kognitions- und Neurowissenschaften, Leipzig, Abteilung Neurologie
Summary
Many brain signals follow rhythmic patterns, yet these rhythms are often obscured by a non-rhythmic “background noise.” If we could better disentangle rhythmic from non-rhythmic brain activity, we might gain deeper insights into a wide range of neurological disorders – and ultimately develop more effective therapies. Parkinson’s disease is one of the conditions that appears to be linked to brain rhythms in a way that is not yet fully understood. But what exactly happens in the rhythmic brain of someone with Parkinson’s? And how do these rhythms differ from those in a healthy brain?