title: Acute Modulation of Brain Connectivity in Parkinson Disease after Automatic Mechanical Peripheral Stimulation: A Pilot Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study shows the results of a double-blind sham-controlled pilot trial to test whether measurable stimulus-specific functional connectivity changes exist after Automatic Mechanical Peripheral Stimulation (AMPS) in patients with idiopathic Parkinson Disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients (6 women and 5 men) with idiopathic Parkinson Disease underwent brain fMRI immediately before and after sham or effective AMPS. Resting state Functional Connectivity (RSFC) was assessed using the seed-ROI based analysis. Seed ROIs were positioned on basal ganglia, on primary sensory-motor cortices, on the supplementary motor areas and on the cerebellum. Individual differences for pre- and post-effective AMPS and pre- and post-sham condition were obtained and first entered in respective one-sample t-test analyses, to evaluate the mean effect of condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Effective AMPS, but not sham stimulation, induced increase of RSFC of the sensory motor cortex, nucleus striatum and cerebellum. Secondly, individual differences for both conditions were entered into paired group t-test analysis to rule out sub-threshold effects of sham stimulation, which showed stronger connectivity of the striatum nucleus with the right lateral occipital cortex and the cuneal cortex (max Z score 3.12) and with the right anterior temporal lobe (max Z score 3.42) and of the cerebellum with the right lateral occipital cortex and the right cerebellar cortex (max Z score 3.79).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that effective AMPS acutely increases RSFC of brain regions involved in visuo-spatial and sensory-motor integration.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study provides Class II evidence that automatic mechanical peripheral stimulation is effective in modulating brain functional connectivity of patients with Parkinson Disease at rest.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Clinical Trials.gov NCT01815281.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo Cosimo
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Quattrocchi
authors.affiliation: Neuromotor Rehabilitation Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Cassino, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Francesca
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: de Pandis
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuroimaging Laboratory, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, University G. D'Annunzio Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Piervincenzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronics Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Jean Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Melgari
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Gaetano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Salomone
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute for Research and Medical Care, IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sale
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo Augusto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mallio
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Neuroimaging Laboratory, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carducci
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Institute for Research and Medical Care, IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Stocchi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008875:Middle Aged; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D017933:Peripheral Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012146:Rest; D016896:Treatment Outcome