Magnetoencephalography detects phase-amplitude coupling in Parkinson’s disease

To characterize Parkinson’s disease, abnormal phase-amplitude coupling is assessed in the cortico-basal circuit using invasive recordings. It is unknown whether the same phenomenon might be found in regions other than the cortico-basal ganglia circuit. We hypothesized that using magnetoencephalography to assess phase-amplitude coupling in the whole brain can characterize Parkinson’s disease. We recorded resting-state magnetoencephalographic signals in patients with Parkinson’s disease and in healthy age- and sex-matched participants. We compared whole-brain signals from the two groups, evaluating the power spectra of 3 frequency bands (alpha, 8–12 Hz; beta, 13–25 Hz; gamma, 50–100 Hz) and the coupling between gamma amplitude and alpha or beta phases. Patients with Parkinson’s disease showed significant beta–gamma phase-amplitude coupling that was widely distributed in the sensorimotor, occipital, and temporal cortices; healthy participants showed such coupling only in parts of the somatosensory and temporal cortices. Moreover, beta- and gamma-band power differed significantly between participants in the two groups (P < 0.05). Finally, beta–gamma phase-amplitude coupling in the sensorimotor cortices correlated significantly with motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (P < 0.05); beta- and gamma-band power did not. We thus demonstrated that beta–gamma phase-amplitude coupling in the resting state characterizes Parkinson’s disease.