• Tao Qiu, Meichen Liu, Xinhui Qiu, Tianbai Li, and Weidong Le.
• Key Laboratory of Liaoning Province for Research on the Pathogenic Mechanisms of Neurological Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning 116000, China.
• Chin. Med. J. 2024 Oct 20; 137 (20): 239524032395-2403.

AbstractParkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by various motor and non-motor symptoms. The complexity of its symptoms suggests that PD is a heterogeneous neurological disorder. Its pathological changes are not limited to the substantia nigra-striatal system, but gradually extending to other regions including the cerebellum. The cerebellum is connected to a wide range of central nervous system regions that form essential neural circuits affected by PD. In addition, altered dopaminergic activity and α-synuclein pathology are found in the cerebellum, further suggesting its role in the PD progression. Furthermore, an increasing evidence obtained from imaging studies has demonstrated that cerebellar structure, functional connectivity, and neural metabolism are altered in PD when compared to healthy controls, as well as among different PD subtypes. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the cerebellar pathophysiology and results from neuroimaging studies related to both motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, highlighting the potential significance of cerebellar assessment in PD diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and disease monitoring.Copyright © 2024 The Chinese Medical Association, produced by Wolters Kluwer, Inc. under the CC-BY-NC-ND license.

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