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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Jacopo Pasquini, Dr Giovanni Palermo, Professor Nicola PaveseORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2026. Purpose of Review: Cerebral noradrenergic activity modulates physiological functions of behaviour, cognition, movement, arousal and sleep. This review aims to provide an accurate summary of the current knowledge on the involvement of the noradrenergic system in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and its clinical correlations based on neuroimaging studies. Recent Findings: Studies in PD highlight neuromelanin MRI signal loss in the locus coeruleus (LC), and positron emission tomography shows noradrenergic denervation across subcortical and cortical areas. More severe phenotypes of PD, manifesting with cognitive decline, apathy, REM sleep behaviour disorder and autonomic dysfunction, are associated with more severe noradrenergic dysfunction. Conversely more preserved noradrenergic transmission is common in tremulous PD. Furthermore, noradrenergic dysfunction, is also involved in transient motor manifestations such as tremor and freezing of gait. Summary: Recent neuroimaging advances greatly expanded the knowledge about noradrenergic dysfunction pathophysiology in PD. However, pharmacological treatment of its several associated manifestations is still lacking and needs further investigation.
Author(s): Pasquini J, Palermo G, Pavese N, Ceravolo R
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports
Year: 2026
Volume: 26
Online publication date: 16/06/2026
Acceptance date: 27/05/2026
ISSN (print): 1528-4042
ISSN (electronic): 1534-6293
Publisher: Springer
URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11910-026-01499-x
DOI: 10.1007/s11910-026-01499-x
Data Access Statement: No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
