title: Feasibility of use of probabilistic reversal learning and serial reaction time tasks in clinical trials of Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using two computer-administered neuropsychological tasks in a clinical trial involving participants with Parkinson's disease without dementia. The tasks, probabilistic reversal learning (PRL) and serial reaction time (SRT), target dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (SRT) and ventral striatal-orbitofrontal (PRL) functioning respectively.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 53 adults with idiopathic Parkinson's disease who completed both the SRT and PRL tasks at baseline in a clinical trial. Repeated measures were examined only for the placebo group (n = 20).
  
  
  RESULTS
  No participants were removed from analyses due to inability to complete the tasks, and most had fewer than 10% of trials culled due to slow reaction times. Response accuracy on PRL was 81.98% and 66.65% for the two stages of the task respectively. Disease duration was associated with SRT relearning. Disease duration and stage were associated with initial learning on PRL, and there was a trend towards disease stage predicting greater errors on PRL. Among participants in the placebo group, practice effects were seen on PRL (Phase 1 errors) and SRT (relearning).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results provide initial evidence for the clinical feasibility of computerized PRL and SRT tasks in clinical trials in Parkinson's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, The Ohio State University Newark, Newark, OH, USA. Electronic address: buelow.11@osu.edu.
authors.forename: Melissa T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Buelow
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Center for TBI and Stress Disorders, VA Boston Healthcare System, Jamaica Plain, MA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Amick
authors.affiliation: Queller Consulting, 598 Bella Loop, Dunedin, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Queller
authors.affiliation: School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stout
authors.affiliation: Movement Disorders Program, Butler Hospital, Providence, RI, USA; Department of Neurology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Friedman
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, Pawtucket, RI, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grace
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000592:standards*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011337:Probability Learning; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012193:Reversal Learning / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Parkinson's disease; Reversal learning; Serial learning