Neurodegenerative diseases encompass different conditions characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons and networks in the central nervous system and accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain. Clinically, neurodegenerative diseases can manifest with impairment of movement, cognition and behavior. Due to multiple factors, including population aging, the incidence of disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly increasing and so is the burden on health systems worldwide. To date, there is no disease-modifying treatment available for most neurodegenerative diseases, which is also due to the limited understanding of disease pathophysiology. In the last decades, research employing invasive and non-invasive neurophysiological techniques, provided new insights into pathological mechanisms responsible for symptoms manifestation and progression. On a therapeutic level, more sophisticated brain stimulation approaches may bring a better symptom control and some techniques may provide neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects.
The goal of this Research topic is to provide new evidence on the role of specific neurophysiological abnormalities, including oscillatory properties, brain excitability, connectivity and plasticity changes, in motor, cognitive or behavioral symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent methodological advances allow to record and interfere with brain signals in more sophisticated ways to better understand disease pathophysiology, brain networks and therapeutic strategies. In particular, specific neurophysiological abnormalities can be targeted by invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct (tDCS) and alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). This ‘interventional’ approach may allow to determine the exact link between neural activities and specific symptoms. Besides the contribution in elucidating disease pathophysiology, positive results using novel neuromodulation approaches could lead to the improvement of existing and development of new non-pharmacological strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
We are interested in original research, review, opinion, methods and perspective articles suggesting a possible role of specific neurophysiological alterations in motor, cognitive or behavioral manifestations in neurodegenerative diseases. Potential themes include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Use of invasive (e.g., local field potentials from DBS electrodes) and non-invasive (e.g., electroencephalographic, magnetoencephalographic) recordings to determine possible neural substrates of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, motor neuron diseases, Huntington's disease and ataxias
• Application of invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques to target neural activities in neurodegenerative diseases for therapeutic purposes
• Multimodal behavioral symptom assessment combined with neurophysiological methods
• Advances in DBS recordings and stimulation patterns, including closed-loop technologies
• Novel multimodal neuromodulation approaches (e.g., combined TMS-tACS, TMS-TUS, TMS-DBS)
• Combined EEG recordings during TMS or other brain stimulation techniques for possible disease biomarkers identification.
Dr. Benussi received funding from Airalzh and is listed as an inventor on issued and pending patents on the use of non-invasive brain stimulation for the differential diagnosis of dementia and to increase cognitive functions in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Tinkhauser holds an International Patent Application, concerning a method and system for optimisation of deep brain stimulation programming. All other editors declare no competing interests.
Neurodegenerative diseases encompass different conditions characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons and networks in the central nervous system and accumulation of misfolded proteins in the brain. Clinically, neurodegenerative diseases can manifest with impairment of movement, cognition and behavior. Due to multiple factors, including population aging, the incidence of disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly increasing and so is the burden on health systems worldwide. To date, there is no disease-modifying treatment available for most neurodegenerative diseases, which is also due to the limited understanding of disease pathophysiology. In the last decades, research employing invasive and non-invasive neurophysiological techniques, provided new insights into pathological mechanisms responsible for symptoms manifestation and progression. On a therapeutic level, more sophisticated brain stimulation approaches may bring a better symptom control and some techniques may provide neuroprotective and disease-modifying effects.
The goal of this Research topic is to provide new evidence on the role of specific neurophysiological abnormalities, including oscillatory properties, brain excitability, connectivity and plasticity changes, in motor, cognitive or behavioral symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases. Recent methodological advances allow to record and interfere with brain signals in more sophisticated ways to better understand disease pathophysiology, brain networks and therapeutic strategies. In particular, specific neurophysiological abnormalities can be targeted by invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques, such as deep brain stimulation (DBS), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), transcranial direct (tDCS) and alternating current stimulation (tACS), transcranial ultrasound stimulation (TUS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). This ‘interventional’ approach may allow to determine the exact link between neural activities and specific symptoms. Besides the contribution in elucidating disease pathophysiology, positive results using novel neuromodulation approaches could lead to the improvement of existing and development of new non-pharmacological strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
We are interested in original research, review, opinion, methods and perspective articles suggesting a possible role of specific neurophysiological alterations in motor, cognitive or behavioral manifestations in neurodegenerative diseases. Potential themes include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Use of invasive (e.g., local field potentials from DBS electrodes) and non-invasive (e.g., electroencephalographic, magnetoencephalographic) recordings to determine possible neural substrates of symptoms in Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, motor neuron diseases, Huntington's disease and ataxias
• Application of invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation techniques to target neural activities in neurodegenerative diseases for therapeutic purposes
• Multimodal behavioral symptom assessment combined with neurophysiological methods
• Advances in DBS recordings and stimulation patterns, including closed-loop technologies
• Novel multimodal neuromodulation approaches (e.g., combined TMS-tACS, TMS-TUS, TMS-DBS)
• Combined EEG recordings during TMS or other brain stimulation techniques for possible disease biomarkers identification.
Dr. Benussi received funding from Airalzh and is listed as an inventor on issued and pending patents on the use of non-invasive brain stimulation for the differential diagnosis of dementia and to increase cognitive functions in patients with neurodegenerative disorders. Dr. Tinkhauser holds an International Patent Application, concerning a method and system for optimisation of deep brain stimulation programming. All other editors declare no competing interests.
