--- title: MRI Scans Detect Parkinson's Disease in it's Earliest Stages, Study Finds description: Researchers say a new scanning technique could detect the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease in the brain, before its symptoms become apparent in the body canonical: https://time.com/2860630/mri-scans-can-detect-early-onset-of-parkinsons-study-finds/ author: Dan Kedmey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-06-11T20:06:13.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T08:21:43.877Z article:section: Health og:title: MRI Scans Detect Parkinson's Disease in it's Earliest Stages, Study Finds og:description: Researchers say a new scanning technique could detect the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease in the brain, before its symptoms become apparent in the body og:url: https://time.com/2860630/mri-scans-can-detect-early-onset-of-parkinsons-study-finds/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19b4c2ad36ed6185/6986972f169ab08b69279dd5/182682597.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4288 og:image:height: 2412 og:image:alt: 182682597 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: MRI Scans Detect Parkinson's Disease in it's Earliest Stages, Study Finds twitter:description: Researchers say a new scanning technique could detect the earliest stages of Parkinson's disease in the brain, before its symptoms become apparent in the body twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19b4c2ad36ed6185/6986972f169ab08b69279dd5/182682597.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # MRI Scans Can Detect Early Onset of Parkinson's, Study Finds > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement.  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jun 11, 2014 8:06 PM UTC  brain brain Getty Images  by [Dan Kedmey](https://time.com/author/dan-kedmey/)  ## Dan Kedmey Jun 11, 2014 8:06 PM UTC Oxford University researchers say that by simply having a patient hold still in an MRI scanner, they can detect the early onset of Parkinson’s disease. The new technique, called “resting state fMRI,” allows researchers to scan neural connections in the basal ganglia part of the brain, where Parkinson’s patients tend to suffer marked declines in connectivity. Researchers found that by using a certain threshold of connectivity, they could predict the onset of Parkinson’s in 11 out of 13 patients, or with 85% accuracy. “We are excited that this MRI technique might prove to be a good marker for the earliest signs of Parkinson’s,” lead researcher Clare Mackay said. “The results are very promising.” The researchers say early detection could pave the way for new, preventative treatments to the degenerative disorder. There is no known cure to Parkinson’s disease, though there are treatments that can suppress symptoms including tremors, stiffening muscles and impaired movement. 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