One Year Later: Catching up With Parkinson's Foundation Research Grantee Hengyi Rao, PhD

A: Fatigue is a common symptom of Parkinson’s and a major contributor to disability and distress. However, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying fatigue in PD, which is a barrier to preventing and managing it. In our study, we use cutting-edge brain imaging methods to explain brain function changes underlying fatigue in PD and explore the effectiveness of using blue light to potentially reduce fatigue and reverse fatigue-related brain dysfunction. We hope our findings can be used to better understand and manage fatigue in PD.

A: We have enrolled 15 people with Parkinson’s and plan to enroll a total of 24.

A: Study participants are very interested in taking part in this fatigue study and are incredibly cooperative. To collect enough data for our research, we need to have our patients stay in the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner for about 90 to 100 minutes without head movement. This is not easy even for healthy individuals. However, most of the participants with PD did a great job and were able to complete the whole study. They are dedicated in moving our fatigue research forward.

A: We need an MRI scanner for this study. It is difficult to set up the cutting-edge multimodal brain imaging protocol and schedule the use of the MRI scanner in a timely manner because many other researchers need to use it for their studies as well. However, with support from Center for Functional Neuroimaging faculties and University of Pennsylvania staff, we have overcome these challenges. 

A: We have been interested in the brain mechanisms that control fatigue in PD for a long time. However, use of the MRI scanner is costly, and funding support from the Parkinson’s Foundation grant makes this study possible.

A: I would be happy to share some with you. Our pilot data suggests that increased fatigue in PD may be associated with altered organization features of the interconnected brain network  when people with PD are at rest and not completing any tasks. We are still enrolling more subjects and collecting more data to further examine this association.