Name
Aberrant Connectivity within the Somato-Cognitive Action Network in Parkinson’s Disease: A Novel Framework for Motor-Cognitive Circuit Dysfunction in Tourette Syndrome
Date & Time
Friday, June 12, 2026
Speakers
Description
Recent precision fMRI studies revealed that the primary motor cortex contains a somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) interspersed between traditional effector regions. SCAN regions connect strongly to the cingulo-opercular network, supporting whole-body action planning and cognitive-motor integration. This study investigated SCAN connectivity in Parkinson’s disease using resting-state fMRI, finding hyperconnectivity between SCAN regions and the anterior cingulate cortex and putamen, areas critical for motor selection and intentional control. Conversely, hypoconnectivity between SCAN and insula, a region involved in bodily awareness, was observed. These findings parallel recent reports of subcortical hyperconnectivity with SCAN in Parkinson’s patients. Notably, both Parkinson’s disease and Tourette Syndrome exhibit dysfunction in overlapping cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuits, including the basal ganglia.
Presenter Name
Mia Mantei
Presenter Image
Bio
Mia Mantei, B.S., is a Postgraduate Research Associate at the Yale School of Medicine, where she works on a Tourette Syndrome neurofeedback clinical trial, using fMRI to create personalized tic-specific treatment. She trains under clinicians at the Yale Child Study Center Tic and OCD Clinic, administering diagnostic tic assessments and developing clinical case formulations. She is also investigating motor network dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease. She hopes to translate her findings from this project to better understand neural mechanisms underlying Tourette Syndrome. Mantei has presented research at national and international conferences, including a talk on motor cortex functional mapping at Yale’s Neuroscience Seminar Series (2025) and a poster on connectivity changes in adolescents with tics at the Real-Time Functional Imaging and Neurofeedback meeting in Heidelberg, Germany (2024). She has championed the TS community for over seven years and currently serves as Chapter Co-Chair for the TAA Connecticut Chapter.
