| Samenvatting: | <p>Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairments and a range of non-motor symptoms. Its rapid increase in prevalence, disability, and mortality underscores the urgent need for early detection and intervention. Diagnostic classification typically relies on clinical symptoms evident at advanced disease stages, necessitating the identification of early markers to facilitate timely medical intervention and the development of disease-modifying treatments.</p>
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<p>This thesis aimed to identify oscillatory brain activity signatures associated with PD using non-invasive electrophysiological recordings, with the potential to serve as markers for early disease stages. Three Magnetoencephalogram (MEG) studies are presented across three empirical chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 examined cortical oscillatory and network activity in PD compared to Healthy Controls (HCs) duringresting and task-related states. Resting-state MEG analyses revealed widespread alterations in cortical oscillatory activity and sensorimotor network dynamics in PD. Analysis of brain activity during sustained-gripping movements identified alterations in motor cortical beta power and sensorimotor network-specific oscillatory activity. In Chapter 3, individuals with REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD), a high-risk population for PD, were investigated, revealing changes in occipital, inferior temporal, and inferior frontal cortical oscillatory activity in RBD during resting-state recordings. These findings suggest promising cortical oscillatory signatures as markers of prodromal PD stages.</p>
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<p>Overall, the findings of this thesis highlight various brain activity signatures capable of distinguishing individuals with PD or RBD from HCs, offering potential diagnostic utility for PD or its prodromal stages. Further replication of these findings in additional datasets is essential, and future MEG research on disease markers should aim to minimize ambiguities and inconsistencies across studies.</p>
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