Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease
Impaired performance in verbal fluency (VF) tasks is a frequent observation in Parkinson’s disease (PD). As to the nature of the underlying cognitive deficit, it is commonly attributed to a frontal-type dysexecutive syndrome due to nigrostriatal dopamine depletion. Whereas dopaminergic medication ty...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.837122/full |
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| author | Hannes Ole Tiedt Felicitas Ehlen Felicitas Ehlen Fabian Klostermann Fabian Klostermann |
| author_facet | Hannes Ole Tiedt Felicitas Ehlen Felicitas Ehlen Fabian Klostermann Fabian Klostermann |
| author_sort | Hannes Ole Tiedt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Impaired performance in verbal fluency (VF) tasks is a frequent observation in Parkinson’s disease (PD). As to the nature of the underlying cognitive deficit, it is commonly attributed to a frontal-type dysexecutive syndrome due to nigrostriatal dopamine depletion. Whereas dopaminergic medication typically improves VF performance in PD, e.g., by ameliorating impaired lexical switching, its effect on semantic network activation is unclear. Data from priming studies suggest that dopamine causes a faster decay of semantic activation spread. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of dopaminergic medication on the dynamic change of word frequency during VF performance as a measure of semantic spreading activation. To this end, we performed a median split analysis of word frequency during phonemic and semantic VF task performance in a PD group tested while receiving dopaminergic medication (ON) as well as after drug withdrawal (i.e., OFF), and in a sample of age-matched healthy volunteers (both groups n = 26). Dopaminergic medication in the PD group significantly affected phonemic VF with improved word production as well as increased error-rates. The expected decrease of word frequency during VF task performance was significantly smaller in the PD group ON medication than in healthy volunteers across semantic and phonemic VF. No significant group-difference emerged between controls and the PD group in the OFF condition. The comparison between both treatment conditions within the PD group did not reach statistical significance. The observed pattern of results indicates a faster decay of semantic network activation during lexical access in PD patients on dopaminergic medication. In view of improved word generation, this finding is consistent with a concept of more focused neural activity by an increased signal-to-noise ratio due to dopaminergic neuromodulation. However, the effect of dopaminergic stimulation on VF output suggests a trade-off between these beneficial effects and increased error-rates. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:44:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9094343b2fb438bba7801c043010495 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T22:44:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9094343b2fb438bba7801c0430104952022-12-22T03:13:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612022-03-011610.3389/fnhum.2022.837122837122Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s DiseaseHannes Ole Tiedt0Felicitas Ehlen1Felicitas Ehlen2Fabian Klostermann3Fabian Klostermann4Department of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universitätzu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universitätzu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Psychiatry, Jüdisches Krankenhaus Berlin, Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Neurology, Motor and Cognition Group, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universitätzu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyBerlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, GermanyImpaired performance in verbal fluency (VF) tasks is a frequent observation in Parkinson’s disease (PD). As to the nature of the underlying cognitive deficit, it is commonly attributed to a frontal-type dysexecutive syndrome due to nigrostriatal dopamine depletion. Whereas dopaminergic medication typically improves VF performance in PD, e.g., by ameliorating impaired lexical switching, its effect on semantic network activation is unclear. Data from priming studies suggest that dopamine causes a faster decay of semantic activation spread. The aim of the current study was to examine the impact of dopaminergic medication on the dynamic change of word frequency during VF performance as a measure of semantic spreading activation. To this end, we performed a median split analysis of word frequency during phonemic and semantic VF task performance in a PD group tested while receiving dopaminergic medication (ON) as well as after drug withdrawal (i.e., OFF), and in a sample of age-matched healthy volunteers (both groups n = 26). Dopaminergic medication in the PD group significantly affected phonemic VF with improved word production as well as increased error-rates. The expected decrease of word frequency during VF task performance was significantly smaller in the PD group ON medication than in healthy volunteers across semantic and phonemic VF. No significant group-difference emerged between controls and the PD group in the OFF condition. The comparison between both treatment conditions within the PD group did not reach statistical significance. The observed pattern of results indicates a faster decay of semantic network activation during lexical access in PD patients on dopaminergic medication. In view of improved word generation, this finding is consistent with a concept of more focused neural activity by an increased signal-to-noise ratio due to dopaminergic neuromodulation. However, the effect of dopaminergic stimulation on VF output suggests a trade-off between these beneficial effects and increased error-rates.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.837122/fullParkinson’s diseasedopaminesemantic systemspreading activationverbal fluency |
| spellingShingle | Hannes Ole Tiedt Felicitas Ehlen Felicitas Ehlen Fabian Klostermann Fabian Klostermann Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Parkinson’s disease dopamine semantic system spreading activation verbal fluency |
| title | Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease |
| title_full | Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease |
| title_fullStr | Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease |
| title_short | Dopamine-Related Reduction of Semantic Spreading Activation in Patients With Parkinson’s Disease |
| title_sort | dopamine related reduction of semantic spreading activation in patients with parkinson s disease |
| topic | Parkinson’s disease dopamine semantic system spreading activation verbal fluency |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2022.837122/full |
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