Slowing of Frontal β Oscillations in Atypical Parkinsonism

Abstract Background Diagnosis of atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS) mostly relies on clinical presentation as well as structural and molecular brain imaging. Whether parkinsonian syndromes are distinguishable based on neuronal oscillations has not been investigated so far. Objective The aim was to identify spectral properties specific to atypical parkinsonism. Methods We measured resting‐state magnetoencephalography in 14 patients with corticobasal syndrome (CBS), 16 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), 33 patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, and 24 healthy controls. We compared spectral power as well as amplitude and frequency of power peaks between groups. Results Atypical parkinsonism was associated with spectral slowing, distinguishing both CBS and PSP from Parkinson's disease (PD) and age‐matched healthy controls. Patients with atypical parkinsonism showed a shift in β peaks (13–30 Hz) toward lower frequencies in frontal areas bilaterally. A concomitant increase in θ/α power relative to controls was observed in both APS and PD. Conclusion Spectral slowing occurs in atypical parkinsonism, affecting frontal β oscillations in particular. Spectral slowing with a different topography has previously been observed in other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that spectral slowing might be an electrophysiological marker of neurodegeneration. As such, it might support differential diagnosis of parkinsonian syndromes in the future. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.