Researchers led by Beijing’s Changping Laboratory have pinpointed a specific brain network whose dysfunction is central to Parkinson’s disease. This discovery not only explains how current treatments work but also suggests more precise and less invasive therapeutic strategies.

The study, published on Thursday in Nature, identifies the somato-cognitive action network — a system that coordinates whole-body movement also known as SCAN — as critically impaired in Parkinson’s. In patients with the disease, the SCAN becomes abnormally hyperconnected to several deep brain structures.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, sleep, mood, and overall quality of life. There is no known cure, only treatments aimed at relieving symptoms. China is home to more than 5 million Parkinson’s patients, accounting for over 43 percent of the global total.