Grant: Operating Grant

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been considered a "classic" basal ganglia disease, and dominant models of the last two decades have examined the role of altered basal ganglia function in PD. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that solely focusing on abnormal basal ganglia function cannot explain many disease features that are vitally important to those affected: the significant variability in the progression of the disease, why PD subjects with tremor tend to have a more benign prognosis and reduced motor complications of treatment, and why tremor often does not respond to dopaminergic therapy. This work proposes to answer these questions by investigating the complementary role the cerebellum plays in PD. By using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and manual tracking tasks, we will determine how cerebellar function becomes altered when the basal ganglia are affected by PD. In addition to explaining many features of PD, this work may spawn new rehabilitation strategies, and provide novel targets for future drug therapies.