Connectionists: New modeling paper, "Dissociating the Cognitive Effects of Levodopa versus Dopamine Agonists" (and a link to a public lecture on "Memory: How it Works")

[Mark Gluck]

Dear Friends & Colleagues, 

The following paper 

Moustafa, A. A., Herzallah, M. M., & Gluck, M. A. (2013).  Dissociating the cognitive effects of levodopa versus dopamine agonists in a neurocomputational model of learning in Parkinson’s disease. Neurodegenerative Disorders. 11:102–111 DOI: 10.1159/000341999
 
Abstract:. Background/Aims: Levodopa and dopamine agonists have different effects on the motor, cognitive, and psychiatric as- pects of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: Using a computational model of basal ganglia (BG) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) dopamine, we provide a theoretical synthesis of the dissociable effects of these dopaminergic medications on brain and cognition. Our model incorporates the findings that levodopa is converted by dopamine cells into dopamine, and thus activates prefrontal and striatal D1 and D2 do- pamine receptors, whereas antiparkinsonian dopamine agonists directly stimulate D2 receptors in the BG and PFC (although some have weak affinity to D1 receptors). Results: In agreement with prior neuropsychological studies, our model explains how levodopa enhances, but dopamine agonists impair or have no effect on, stimulus-response learning and working memory. Conclusion: Our model explains how levodopa and dopamine agonists have differential effects on motor and cognitive processes in PD.

is now in press and available as a PDF  at http://www.gluck.edu/pdf/2013_neurodegener_dis.pdf

This article is one of several that appears in a special issue of this journal that I guest-edited on the topic of "Cognitive Deficits in Parkinson's Disease" which followed a special session on this topic that I organized last year at the Memory Disorders Research Society conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Also: For anyone who might be interested in a "Infotainment" introduction to memory and memory disorders for the general public (perhaps for non-scientist friends or family who might ask for information on memory and advice on memory improvement), here is a link to Newark community lecture I gave on:

	Memory: How it works, why it sometime's doesn't, 
	and what you can do to improve yours.

It is on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr2VnCB_DXs

- Mark Gluck

___________________________________
Dr. Mark A. Gluck,  Professor  
  Director, Rutgers Memory Disorders Project  
Center for Molecular  and Behavioral Neuroscience
Rutgers University                                
197 University Ave.                                   
Newark, New Jersey  07102                  
 	 Web:  http://www.gluck.edu
	 Email:  gluck at pavlov.rutgers.edu
    	Ph:  (973) 353-3298
 
     

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