Parkinsonian motor control: mechanisms of bradykinesia, tremor, and freezing of gait

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, affecting millions of individuals and placing a growing burden on healthcare systems. Among its most disabling features are the cardinal motor symptoms — bradykinesia, tremor, and freezing of gait (FOG) — which significantly impair quality of life and functional independence. Despite decades of research, the neural mechanisms underlying these symptoms remain incompletely understood, and current therapeutic strategies often fall short of providing sustained relief across all motor domains.Recent advances in neuroimaging, electrophysiology, computational modeling, and wearable sensor technologies have opened new avenues for investigating the pathophysiology of parkinsonian motor control. From oscillatory dynamics in basal ganglia–cortical circuits to biomechanical analyses of gait and upper-limb movements, the field is moving toward a more integrated understanding of how PD disrupts motor planning, execution, and adaptation.This Research Topic aims to bring together original research, reviews, and methods articles that advance our understanding of the mechanisms driving bradykinesia, tremor, and freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease in humans. We welcome contributions spanning basic, translational, and clinical neuroscience, with a focus on bridging the gap between neural circuit dysfunction and observable motor impairment.Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:• Neural correlates of bradykinesia: basal ganglia–cortical interactions, dopaminergic modulation, and motor output scaling• Pathophysiology of parkinsonian tremor: oscillatory mechanisms, thalamo-cortical circuits, and tremor subtypes• Freezing of gait: cognitive and motor contributions, neural signatures, and predictive biomarkers• The role of sensorimotor integration in parkinsonian motor symptoms• Computational and network-based models of motor dysfunction in PD• Neuroimaging approaches for characterizing motor circuit abnormalities• Wearable sensors, motion capture, and digital biomarkers for objective motor assessment• Effects of pharmacological, surgical (DBS), and rehabilitation-based interventions on motor control mechanisms• Interactions between motor and non-motor symptoms (e.g., cognitive load and FOG) Topic editors: Markey Cierra Olson, Sudeshna A Chatterjee, Marica Giardini Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80577/parkinsonian-motor-control-mechanisms-of-bradykinesia-tremor-and-freezing-of-gait