Recent precision fMRI studies have revealed a somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) interspersed between traditional effector regions in primary motor cortex, supporting whole-body action planning and cognitive-motor integration. Using resting-state fMRI from 51 Parkinson's disease patients and 51 matched healthy controls, we found that SCAN inter-effector regions were significantly hyperconnected to the basal ganglia, thalamus, and other subcortical structures in patients, a pattern consistent with recent independent reports. Because Parkinson's disease and Tourette Syndrome both involve dysfunction of cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical circuitry, these findings raise the possibility that the SCAN is also a core node in tic pathophysiology. Recent DBS evidence supports this view, showing that stronger thalamic stimulation–SCAN connectivity predicts greater tic reduction. This talk will discuss the implications of these converging findings for reframing movement disorders as disorders of cognitive-motor integration, and will highlight the SCAN as a promising target for non-invasive neuromodulation approaches in Tourette Syndrome.

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