These observations underscore the significant relationship between state 1 connectivity patterns and olfactory impairment in PD patients. The discovery that PD patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) "linger" in the sparsely connected state 1 provides a dynamic functional correlate of the progressive pathology that initially affects olfaction. Dynamic functional connectivity analysis successfully distinguished PD patients from healthy controls even prior to the onset of motor symptoms, suggesting its potential as a neuroimaging biomarker for Parkinson's disease. Consequently, this method may facilitate early identification, timely intervention, and improved clinical management of PD by providing an early warning signal before motor symptom--based diagnosis, thereby potentially delaying disease progression and alleviating the burden on patients, families, and society.
He et al. (2026) studied this question.