The error negativity in nonmedicated and medicated patients with Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
It has been hypothesized that the error negativity (Ne or ERN) is modulated by the midbrain dopaminergic system. Thus, in a depleted dopaminergic system as seen in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) one would expect an attenuated Ne. However, studies investigating the error negativities in medicated patients with PD have produced contradictory results and the present study was designed to explore this relationship further.


METHODS
Using the event-related potential technique and an Eriksen flanker paradigm, we examined error negativities in nonmedicated (drug naive) and medicated PD patients and compared them to those of healthy controls.


RESULTS
(a) The error negativities of the nonmedicated and medicated PD patients were attenuated compared to those of healthy elderly controls at frontocentral scalp sites; and (b) nonmedicated and medicated PD patients produced error negativities similar to each other.


CONCLUSIONS
PD results in diminished error negativities both in the early stage nonmedicated patients and in the later stage medicated patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Because both patient groups have reduced dopaminergic functioning compared to healthy controls, these findings are consistent with Ne amplitude being sensitive to modulations in that system.
Stemmer
Brigitte
B
Université de Montréal, Canada. b.stemmer@umontreal.ca
Segalowitz
Sidney J
SJ
Dywan
Jane
J
Panisset
Michel
M
Melmed
Calvin
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003657:Decision Making / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D000978:Antiparkinson Agents