Quantitative Electroencephalography Characteristics for Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Biomarker Discovery
• Neurological Disorders

Background:

• Individualized treatment for neurological diseases relies on biomarkers.
• Electroencephalographic biomarkers in Parkinson's disease (PD) can aid non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) characteristics in PD patients.
• To identify potential qEEG biomarkers associated with motor impairment in PD at rest and during movement.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search following PRISMA guidelines across multiple databases.
• Included 19 studies comparing qEEG data of 312 PD patients with 277 healthy controls.
• Assessed methodological quality using the Cochrane Handbook.

Main Results:

• PD patients exhibited slower cortical activity compared to controls.
• Increased slow-wave activity and decreased fast-wave activity were observed in PD patients.
• These changes were prominent in central and frontal cortex during rest and movement.

Conclusions:

• Slower cortical waves suggest excitatory NIBS may benefit PD motor impairment.
• Reliable qEEG biomarkers for PD motor symptoms are not yet established due to poor study quality.
• Further high-quality research is required to validate qEEG biomarkers.