Jolyn NA D'Andrea1, Angela Haffenden2,
Sarah Furtado2, Oksana Suchowersky2,3, Bradley G.
Goodyear, 2,4
1Medical Science, University of
Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada; 2Department of Clinical
Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 3Medical
Genetics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; 4Radiology,
University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Parkinsons
patients have difficulty performing self-initiated movements. Levodopa can
reduce this functional deficit by focusing brain activity to areas necessary
for task performance. The current study investigates how levodopa modulates
brain activity in Parkinsons patients during the performance of internally
timed motor tasks, with and without a preceding cue. Our results show that
levodopa has a differential effect on the involvement of ipsilateral basal
ganglia and thalamus depending on whether internally driven movements are
self-initiated or initiated by a cue. This has practical implications for
helping Parkinsons patients cope with behavioral deficits, and could impact
future pharmacological interventions.