Functional network reorganization after magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy in tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease patients

Abstract

Background Magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS) thalamotomy alleviates tremor in tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (TD-PD). However, its effects on the functional network topology remain unclear. Methods Twenty-one TD-PD patients underwent unilateral MRgFUS thalamotomy and clinical and MRI assessments. For the overall cohort, graph theory analysis was employed to examine differences in small-world properties and modular structure between baseline and 6 months after MRgFUS. Changes in topological properties were assessed using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon tests, and their associations with clinical improvement. Additionally, subgroup analyses were performed on responder (n = 10) and relapser (n = 9) data. Results Tremor scores decreased significantly after MRgFUS contralateral to the lesioned thalamus. Significant increases were observed in small-worldness and normalized clustering coefficient after MRgFUS. Inter-modular connectivity showed trend-level enhancement between cortical-basal ganglia and thalamic modules, and between cerebellar and temporal-hippocampal modules. In responder, significant increases were observed in small-worldness, normalized clustering coefficient, and global efficiency, whereas characteristic path length showed a significant decrease. Changes in global efficiency and characteristic path length were significantly correlated with clinical improvement. Conclusion MRgFUS thalamotomy for TD-PD induced partial reorganization of small-world properties, indicating a shift toward a more integrated network topology, especially in responder. Changes correlated with tremor reduction and improved functional disability, highlighting that effective treatment impacts on global network integration.