Cognitive Changes in Presymptomatic Parkinson's Disease
Abstract
Patients do not typically develop Parkinson's Disease (PD) until they lose approximately 7O% of their dopaminergic neurons. This neural degeneration typically manifests as motor symptoms. Yet, it is possible that subtle cognitive symptoms may precede the onset of these motor symptoms. However, it remains unclear as to what the early cognitive symptoms might be. Many of the neuropsychological changes reported with PD are not typically seen early in the disease and they are not seen in all subjects. Therefore, there is a need to develop new cognitive tests of PD that precede the motor symptoms, are easy to administer and are valid early predictors. In order to develop cognitive tests that predict the onset of the motor deficits associated with Parkinson's Disease it is important to understand the effect of the dopaminergic system on the cortex. One possible action of dopamine on the cerebral cortex is that it increases the signal to noise ratio. Changing this ratio may influence activation of semantic networks. Thus, we intend to study the semantic organization of verbal information in PD patients and matched controls. We will also induce dopamine blockade using Haldol in normal subjects, and assess these subjects for changes in the function of their semantic network.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA375596
Entities
People
- Kenneth M. Heilman
Organizations
- University of Florida