Categorization system-switching deficits in typical aging and Parkinson's disease
Sébastien Hélie1, Madison Fansher1
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University.
Neuropsychology
|June 29, 2018
Summary
Older adults and people with Parkinson's disease (PD) show deficits in categorization system-switching, performing worse than young adults. This impairment may be linked to reduced dopamine levels.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuropsychology
Background:
- Cognitive deficits, including memory, learning, and attention, are well-documented in Parkinson's disease (PD).
- Categorization system-switching, a complex cognitive task, has not been extensively studied in PD or aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate potential deficits in categorization system-switching among older adults and individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD).
- To compare the performance of older adults with PD, neurologically intact older adults, and young adults on a categorization system-switching task.
Main Methods:
- Participants included 20 older adults with PD, 20 neurologically intact older adults, and 67 young adults.
- Training involved separate rule-based (RB) and information-integration (II) categorization tasks.
- A trial-by-trial switching paradigm intermixed RB and II trials, with variations in response button locations in later blocks.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in accuracy or response time (RT) switch cost were found between older adults with PD and neurologically intact older adults.
- Both older adult groups exhibited lower accuracy and higher RT switch costs compared to young adults.
- A smaller proportion of individuals with PD successfully switched categorization systems compared to young adults.
Conclusions:
- Older adults and individuals with PD demonstrate impaired categorization system-switching abilities.
- This impairment may be associated with decreased tonic dopamine (DA) levels, common in aging and PD.
- Categorization system-switching performance is sensitive to neurochemical changes in the brain.
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