Objective:

To assess whether short-term interventions with istradefylline and HAL therapy can induce early neural changes detectable by fMRI in Parkinson's disease patients, specifically focusing on the sensitivity of fMRI as a biomarker.

Key Findings:

• Istradefylline treatment resulted in increased fMRI activation in brain areas related to motor and cognitive functions, but no significant clinical improvements were observed in either treatment group.

Interpretation:

fMRI may serve as a more sensitive biomarker for detecting early neural adaptations in Parkinson's disease compared to traditional clinical evaluations, highlighting the need for further exploration of its clinical relevance.

Limitations:

• Small sample size limits generalizability of findings.
• Exploratory nature of the study may affect the robustness of conclusions.
• Future studies should aim for larger sample sizes to validate these findings.

Conclusion:

Short-term istradefylline treatment led to detectable neural changes via fMRI, suggesting potential for early intervention assessment in Parkinson's disease.