Alongside the major research interest in the physiology of motor dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease (PD), there has been a parallel interest in nonmotor symptoms including, but not limited to, autonomic, sleep, cognitive, and behavioral and emotional disturbances. Behavioral and emotional dysfunction, in particular, remain frequent yet poorly understood clinical features of PD, frequently presenting since the very first stages of disease, even before the onset of motor symptoms. Several mechanisms, likely related to multiple functional pathways, may take part in behavioral and emotional dysfunction in PD. These include changes in basal ganglia and in limbic system as well as abnormal interactions with other structures, including cortical areas. Still, a clear insight in the mechanisms underlying behavioral and emotional dysfunction in PD remains unclear. A deeper understanding of the pathophysiological basis of the dysfunctional pathways involved in the behavioral and emotional processing in PD is of utmost importance to foster the development of innovative and tailored therapeutic interventions.

This special issue aims to raise interest in original research articles reporting new clinical and pathophysiological observations related to behavioral and emotional dysfunction in PD. Behavioral research submissions and review articles describing the current state of the art are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Evidence of behavioral and emotional dysfunction in different stages of PD
• Pathophysiological studies using neuroimaging and neurophysiology (including invasive and noninvasive techniques)
• Novel therapeutic approaches, TMS, tDCS, and DBS