scholarly journals Preserved motor memory in Parkinson's disease

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soraya Lahlou ◽  
Ella Gabitov ◽  
Lucy L. W. Owen ◽  
Daphna Shohamy ◽  
Madeleine Sharp
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Initial Sequence ◽  
Initial Learning

Patients with Parkinson's disease, who lose the dopaminergic projections to the striatum, are impaired in certain aspects of motor learning. Recent evidence suggests that, in addition to its role in motor performance, the striatum plays a key role in the memory of motor learning. Whether Parkinson's patients have impaired motor memory and whether motor memory is modulated by dopamine at the time of initial learning is unknown. To address these questions, we measured memory of a learned motor sequence in Parkinson's patients who were either On or Off their dopaminergic medications. We compared them to a group of older and younger controls. Contrary to our predictions, motor memory was not impaired in patients compared to older controls, and was not influenced by dopamine state at the time of initial learning. To probe post-learning consolidation processes, we also tested whether learning a new sequence shortly after learning the initial sequence would interfere with later memory. We found that, in contrast to younger adults, neither older adults nor patients were susceptible to this interference. These findings suggest that motor memory is preserved in Parkinson's patients and raise the possibility that motor memory in patients is supported by compensatory non-dopamine sensitive mechanisms. Furthermore, given the similar performance characteristics observed in the patients and older adults and the absence of an effect of dopamine, these results raise the possibility that aging and Parkinson's disease affect motor memory in similar ways.

Characterization of cognitive and motor performance during dual-tasking in healthy older adults and patients with Parkinson’s disease

2012 ◽  
Vol 260 (2) ◽  
pp. 580-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Bartmann Wild ◽  
Daiane Borba Lima ◽  
Joana Bisol Balardin ◽  
Luana Rizzi ◽  
Bruno Lima Giacobbo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Dual Tasking ◽  
Healthy Older Adults

Visual Search Processes in Healthy Aging

Perception ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Tales ◽  
T Troscianko ◽  
S R Butler
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Size Task

It is well established that there are two limiting types of visual search, a pre-attentive parallel and an attention-related serial process. Such different types of processing may depend upon different regions of the visual cortex and such a measurable dissociation of function could provide a useful marker for particular types of cortical pathology, such as that associated with Parkinson's disease, aging, and Alzheimer's disease. For example, recent studies in this laboratory have shown that people with Parkinson's disease have abnormal parallel but normal serial search functions. Plude and Doussard-Roosevelt (1989 Psychology and Aging4 98 – 105) found no difference in parallel processing between older and young adults, but found that older adults performed worse on a conjunction task. The aim of the present experiment was to extend this research and look at the effect of aging on other types of visual search task and to compare these findings to patients with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease to determine if different patterns of visual function occur. Twenty-five young adults (mean age 32.6 years) and twenty-five older adults (mean age 63.4 years) performed both a conjunction task and a task involving the detection of a target only slightly larger than the distractors (the ‘size’ task). Our hypothesis was that for both types of visual search there would be an increase in search slope in the older adult group compared to the younger adults. Results of a 2-factor (1 between and 1 within) ANOVA performed on the slope values indicate statistically significant main effects of both age ( F=7.661, p<0.008) and search task ( F=25.426, p<0.0001), where in both the conjunction and size task the slope value was significantly greater for the older than for the younger adults. The slope for the size task was significantly greater than that for the conjunction task for both age groups. The results therefore support our hypothesis and further work is in progress to determine the effects of Alzheimer's disease on different types of visual search processing.

Movement without dopamine: striatal dopamine is required to maintain but not to perform learned actions

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Dowd ◽  
S.B. Dunnett
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Striatal Dopamine ◽  
Motor Deficits ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Gene Therapies ◽  
Different Populations

The different populations of dopaminergic neurons located in the ventral mesencephalon have long been associated with distinct functional roles. The nigrostriatal projection is considered necessary for efficient motor performance, while the mesolimbocortical projection is usually associated with reward signalling. However, a number of recent studies in our laboratory suggest that the divergence between these two functions of dopamine is not as delineated as it may once have seemed. In these experiments, we have been developing improved behavioural methods for assessing the nature of the deficit in rats with unilateral dopamine lesions, as well as the efficacy of various experimental cell and gene therapies for Parkinson's disease. The behavioural task we selected is a lateralized nose-poking task in which rats are trained to respond to stimulus lights on either side of their heads. This task not only allows us to accurately measure aspects of motor performance, but, because it requires extensive training, it also allows us to assess aspects of motor learning. The concurrence of motor performance parameters (which are considered to be dependent on striatal dopamine) and motor learning parameters (which are thought to be dependent on mesolimbocortical reward signalling) within the same task has revealed some surprising consequences of dopamine lesions and neuroprotective/neuroreparative approaches to repair in rat models of Parkinson's disease. The data generated using this task suggest that the motor deficits that occur as a consequence of dopamine lesions may be downstream of a deficit in reward signalling. If so, this could redefine our perception of the role of dopamine in controlling motor function.

scholarly journals Acute Exercise Following Skill Practice Promotes Motor Memory Consolidation in Parkinson’s Disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp Wanner ◽  
Martin Winterholler ◽  
Heiko Gaßner ◽  
Jürgen Winkler ◽  
Jochen Klucken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Acute Exercise ◽  
Dopaminergic System ◽  
Exercise Bout ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Motor Memory ◽  
Offline Learning

AbstractAcute cardiovascular exercise has shown to promote neuroplastic processes, and thus to improve the consolidation of newly acquired motor skills in healthy adults. First results suggest that this concept may be transferred to populations with motor and cognitive dysfunctions. In this context, Parkinson’s disease (PD) is highly relevant since patients demonstrate deficits in motor learning. Hence, in the present study we sought to explore the effect of a single post-practice exercise bout on motor memory consolidation in PD patients.For this purpose, 17 PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr: 1 – 2.5, age: 60.1 ± 7.9 y) practiced a whole-body task followed by either (i) a moderate-intense bout of cycling, or (ii) seated rest for a total of 30 minutes. The motor task required the participants to balance on a tiltable platform (stabilometer) for 30 seconds. During skill practice, patients performed 15 trials followed by a retention test 1 day and 7 days later. We calculated time in balance (platform within ± 5° from horizontal) for each trial and within- and between-group differences in memory consolidation (i.e. offline learning = skill change from last acquisition block to retention tests) were analyzed.Groups revealed similar improvements during skill practice (F4,60 = .316, p = .866), but showed differences in offline learning, which was only evident after 7 days (F1,14 = 5.602, p = .033).Our results suggest that a single post-practice exercise bout is effective in enhancing long-term motor memory consolidation in a population with motor learning impairments. This may point at unique promoting effects of exercise on dopamine neurotransmission involved in memory formation. Future studies should investigate the potential role of exercise-induced effects on the dopaminergic system.HighlightsAcute exercise enhanced motor memory consolidation in PDEffects were evident only at 7-day retentionResults may indicate unique exercise-effects on the dopaminergic systemFindings show promising potential of exercise for motor rehabilitation

scholarly journals 0122 Does Additional Training on an Implicit Motor Sequence Learning Task for Older Adults Improve Sleep-Dependent Memory Consolidation?

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A48-A48
Author(s):  
K Rodheim ◽  
R Spencer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Sequence Learning ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence Learning ◽  
Motor Sequence ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Delayed Recall ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Initial Learning ◽  
Regular Training

Abstract Introduction Previous studies show sleep dependent consolidation (SDC) for motor sequence learning with regular training in younger adults, whereas, in older adults, this sleep benefit is missing. If hippocampal engagement underlies age-related differences in SDC, then enhanced training should result in significant SDC in older adults. Thus, this study aims to look at younger vs. older adults with regular training and older adults with regular training vs. overtraining to determine if older adults show evidence of SDC. Alternatively, regardless of initial learning, older adults may fail to exhibit SDC because the sleep mechanisms supporting consolidation are impaired. Methods Seven younger adults (M=22 years) and seven older adults (M=68.5 years) completed the train condition, while ten older adults (M=67.6 years) completed the overtrain condition. In the encoding phase, participants either completed 5 blocks (train) or 10 blocks (overtrain). Between immediate and delayed recall, participants either slept with Polysomnography (PSG) in the lab or remained awake, and subsequently, completed the alternate condition one week later. Actigraphy was collected for 14 days and PSG (32-electrode EasyCap) was recorded for overnight sleep. Results Older adults significantly improved their skill learning from immediate to delayed recall, in both the train (p=0.005) and overtrain (p=0.013) conditions, regardless of sleep or wake. Younger adults did not improve their skill learning in the train condition (p&gt;0.05). However, there was a trending main effect, with younger adults performing the task better compared to older adults in the train condition, at both time points (p=0.061). No other main effects or interactions were significant. Conclusion These results suggest the alternative hypothesis that, regardless of initial learning, older adults fail to exhibit SDC. This result is of interest as the age-related differences in sleep, such as sleep spindle characteristics may play a role. Future analysis will include more participants and further exploration into the PSG-recorded sleep architecture and actigraphy-recorded measures of habitual sleep. Support This work was funded by NIH R01 AG040133 (PI: Spencer)

Contextual Interference Can Facilitate Motor Learning in Older Adults and in Individuals With Parkinson's Disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 509-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Sidaway ◽  
Bradley Ala ◽  
Katherine Baughman ◽  
Joshua Glidden ◽  
Stephanie Cowie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Motor Learning ◽  
Contextual Interference

Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. MacPherson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Movement Duration ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

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