Dopamine-related dissociation of cortical and subcortical brain activations in cognitively unimpaired Parkinson's disease patients OFF and ON medications.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Despite dopaminergic depletion that is severe enough to cause the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), many patients remain cognitively unimpaired. Little is known about brain mechanisms underlying such preserved cognitive abilities and their alteration by dopaminergic medications.

Objectives

We investigated brain activations underlying dopamine-related differences in cognitive function using a unique experimental design with PD patients off and on dopaminergic medications. We tested the dopamine overdose hypothesis, which posits that the excess of exogenous dopamine in the frontal cortical regions can impair cognition.

Methods

We used a two-choice forced response Choice Reaction Time (CRT) task to probe cognitive processes underlying response select

SUBMITTER: Kim J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6191343 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature