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Patient-specific functional networks track early cognitive alterations and minor hallucinations in Parkinson's disease

Lookup NU author(s): Professor John-Paul TaylorORCiD, Emeritus Professor Alan Thomas

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Abstract

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc. 2026. Minor hallucinations (MHs) affect up to 40% of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and are early indicators of cognitive decline. Unlike previous group-level studies, connectome-based brain fingerprinting enables the capture of individualized neural features. Leveraging this framework in a cross-sectional cohort of patients with Parkinson’s disease with and without MHs using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, here we show that each patient exhibits a unique brain fingerprint, irrespective of MH status. The most individualized features were associated with clinically relevant measures such as motor-symptom severity and cognitive performance. Patients with MHs showed a loss of individual-specific features in brain networks linked to cognitive health, whereas the cerebellar-to-cortex connectivity—typically less distinctive—became more prominent, emphasizing the role of somatosensory and motor integration in MH pathogenesis. Moreover, MH-related fingerprint regions mapped onto cortical territories with lower densities of neurotransmitter systems implicated in hallucinations. Overall, our fully data-driven findings reveal a distinct, patient-specific signature that differentiates patients with Parkinson’s disease and MHs.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Stampacchia S, Bernasconi F, Van De Ville D, Amico E, Kohoutova L, Taylor J-P, Thomas A, Pagonabarraga J, Kulisevsky J, Blanke O

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Nature Mental Health

Year: 2026

Volume: 4

Issue: 6

Pages: 1021-1034

Online publication date: 08/06/2026

Acceptance date: 21/04/2026

ISSN (electronic): 2731-6076

Publisher: Springer Nature

URL: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-026-00657-x

DOI: 10.1038/s44220-026-00657-x

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