Background pattern of a brain with neural connections

Team Strick

Basal Ganglia Networks in Parkinson’s Disease

2021-Present

Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have long been known to display remarkable motor abilities under special circumstances (e.g., paradoxical kinesia). In addition, placebos can be surprisingly effective in treating the motor signs of PD. We hypothesize that a specific neuroanatomical substrate supports paradoxical kinesia and placebo effects. Our goal is to define the substrate and investigate its functional organization in health and disease. The information from these studies could lead to a new therapeutic target to delay disease progression and ameliorate the motor dysfunction that is so disabling for PD patients.

Tags
Basal Ganglia Neural circuitry Paradoxical kinesia

Leadership

Peter Strick

Peter Strick

Lead PI (Core Leadership)

Scott Grafton

Scott Grafton

Co-PI (Core Leadership)

Helen Schwerdt

Helen Schwerdt

Co-PI (Core Leadership)

William Stauffer

William Stauffer

Co-PI (Core Leadership)

Robert Turner

Robert Turner

Co-PI (Core Leadership)

Andreea Bostan

Andreea Bostan

Project Manager

Project Highlights

Integrated Representations of Threat and Controllability in the Lateral Frontal Pole

Emotions can powerfully modulate behavior, as observed in paradoxical kinesia - a condition wherein individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) are suddenly able to move fluidly under surprising or emotionally arousing circumstances. This phenomenon is often observed during salient emotional experience, suggesting a potentially moderating role of subcortical circuits (amygdala, ventral...

Contributions

Here is an overview of how this team’s article findings have contributed to the PD field as of June 2025. There are two different categorizations of these contributions – one by impact to the PD community and a second by scientific category.

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