Multivariate Associations Between Neurophysiological Activity and Sensory Motor Cortical Morphometry in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Parkinsons disease (PD) involves progressive neurodegeneration and distinctive structural and functional alterations in cortico-basal ganglia circuits. This study proposes bridging the gap between structural and functional biomarkers to uncover fundamental mechanisms underlying PD pathophysiology and support more comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. We examined 50 PD patients using high-resolution MRI to quantify cortical thickness, surface area, and volume in sensorimotor regions, alongside intraoperative neurophysiological recordings of spectral power, burst parameters, and coherence. Pairwise correlation and Sparse Partial Least Squares analyses revealed significant low-dimensional latent relationships, particularly linking cortical atrophy in Brodmann areas BA1-BA6 with alpha and low-beta burst abnormalities. These associations remained robust after controlling for age, disease duration, and symptom severity, and were absent in a control cohort with essential tremor. These findings highlight the value of multimodal approaches for uncovering structure-function interactions in PD and highlight the potential of integrated biomarkers for improving diagnosis and treatment strategies.