Jing-Huei Lee1,2, David M. Henkel1, Judd M. Storrs1, James C. Eliassen2,3, Wen-Jang Chu2,3, Noel Burton4, Alberto J. Espay4
1Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 2Center for Imaging Research, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 3Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 4Neurology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
In this study, we investigate motor preparation impairment in PD patients using an fMRI measurement with a delayed cued finger movement paradigm. The result shows that there are no significant differences between PD and healthy control in motor execution activation of all regions. However, many brain regions including putamen, thalamus, and cerebellum shows significant differences during motor preparations. We have demonstrated that the delayed cued finger movement paradigm can effectively study the motor preparation deficit in patients with PD, which may be a potential imaging biomarker for PD.