Effect of dopamine therapy on ventral and dorsal striatum-mediated cognition in Parkinson's disease

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The effect of dopamine therapy on ventral and dorsal striatum-mediated cognition in Parkinson's disease

Central aim of this study was to elucidate functions mediated by the ventral and dorsal striatum, respectively, to better understand the cognitive effects of dopamine replacement in Parkinson's disease.

The ventral striatum underlies general learning of stimulus associations, whereas the dorsal striatum promotes integration of various influences on selecting. In Parkinson's disease, dopamine depletion is substantially less notable in the ventral relative to the dorsal striatum, and therefore greater improvements are expected for dorsal striatum-mediated functions with dopamine replacement.

Summary of the Research

22 Parkinson's disease patients without dementia and 22 healthy individuals were included in the first part of the study (behavioural), while 13 healthy young adults participated in the second part of the study (neuroimaging). Each participant was asked to repeatedly choose numbers (288 times) such as selecting the higher of two numbers, for example. On some occasions, patients were given no reinforcement, while on other occasions, they were influenced by various cues that made it easier to answer (a function usually associated with the dorsal striatum), or more difficult to answer due to interference (associated with the ventral striatum). Parkinson's patients were tested on or off medication. Selection was validated with functional magnetic resonance imaging which was used to observe cerebral activity during the exercises. Results demonstrated that while dopamine replacement enhances results for conditions associated with interference (dorsal striatum), it reduces results for conditions associated with facilitation (ventral striatum).

Click Here for Article: PubMed
Effect of dopamine therapy on ventral and dorsal striatum-mediated cognition in Parkinson's disease 34275010

Effect of dopamine therapy on ventral and dorsal striatum-mediated cognition in Parkinson's disease 34275010

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