Degree
Master of Science
Program
Physiology
Supervisor
Dr. Penny MacDonald
2nd Supervisor
Dr. Adrian Owen
Joint Supervisor
Abstract
Cognitive impairment is recognized in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Understanding striatum-mediated cognitive functions will help elucidate some of these abnormalities. Learning is often impaired by dopaminergic medication. However, dorsal striatum (DS) has been implicated in learning; an unexpected result given that dopaminergic therapy, the gold standard treatment for PD, remediates DS functioning. In two separate experiments, stimulus-response association learning and decision-making were examined in healthy individuals using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and in PD patients using behavioural methods. In Experiment 1, healthy individuals completed a stimulus-response learning task, and brain regions associated with learning versus decision-making were investigated using fMRI. In Experiment 2, patients with PD completed a similar task on and off their dopaminergic medication. Results from both experiments suggest that DS mediates decision-making and not learning. This greater understanding of striatum-mediated cognition will ultimately prompt clinicians to devise medication strategies that consider both motor and cognitive symptoms of PD.
Recommended Citation
Hiebert, Nole M., "Functional role of the striatum in stimulus-response learning: Evidence from functional MRI and patients with Parkinson's disease" (2014). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 2090.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/2090