Low-frequency EEG power and coherence differ between drug-induced parkinsonism and Parkinson's disease

Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) ranks second to Parkinson's disease (PD) in causing parkinsonism. Despite sharing similar symptoms, DIP results from exposure to specific medications or substances, underscoring the need for accurate diagnosis. Here, we used resting-state electroencephalography (rsEEG) to investigate neural markers characterizing DIP and PD.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of rsEEG recordings from 18 DIP patients, 43 de novo PD patients, and 12 healthy controls (HC). After exclusions, data from 15 DIP, 41 PD, and 12 HC participants were analyzed. EEG spectral power and inter-channel coherence were compared across the groups.

Our results demonstrated significant differences in rsEEG patterns among DIP, PD, and HC groups. DIP patients exhibited increased theta band power compared with PD patients and HC. Moreover, DIP patients showed higher delta band coherence compared with PD patients.

The current study highlights the differences in EEG spectral power and inter-channel coherence between DIP and PD patients.

Our results suggest that rsEEG holds promise as a valuable tool for capturing differential characteristics between DIP and PD patients.