Abstract #0379

Differential Effects of Levodopa and Deep Brain Stimulation on Motor Networks in Parkinsons Disease

Karsten Mueller¹, Stefan Holiga¹, Harald E. Mller¹, Matthias L. Schroeter¹,², Josef Vymazal³, Filip Ruicka⁴,⁵, Duan Urgok⁴,⁵, Even Ruicka⁴, Robert Jech⁴

¹Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany; ²Clinic for Cognitive Neurology, Leipzig, Sachsen, Germany; ³Department of Radiology, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic; ⁴Department of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, Prague, Czech Republic; ⁵Department of Stereotactic and Radiation Neurosurgery, Na Homolce Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic

We explored differential effects of levodopa treatment and deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) on motor networks affected by Parkinsons disease (PD), using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. The results revealed significantly altered functional connectivity between premotor cortex and other brain regions as cerebellum and thalamus, by contrasting levodopa treatment with DBS. Our results indicate that levodopa and DBS might have a distinctive influence on connectivity patterns in PD motor networks. The overlying DBS and surgery-related microlesion effects need to be studied separately in order to further investigate these findings.