The neural correlates of specific executive dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease

Ludwika Gawrys , Marcel Falkiewicz , Artur Pilacinski , Monika Riegel , Ewa Piatkowska-Janko , Piotr Bogorodzki , Tomasz Wolak , Renata Andrysiak , Leszek Krolicki , Radosław Kulinski , Dariusz Koziorowski , Piotr Janik , Krystyna Rymarczyk , Anna Grabowska , Leszek Kaczmarek , Iwona Szatkowska

Abstract

Several functional neuroimaging studies in patients with Parkinson�s disease (PD) have suggested that changes in the fronto-parietal-striatal networks are associated with deficits in executive functioning. However, executive functions (EF) are multifaceted and include three dissociable components: working memory, response inhibition, and task-switching. This study investigated which component of executive functioning is most strongly associated with fronto-parietal-striatal efficiency in PD. PD patients (with and without executive dysfunction), and age-matched healthy subjects, completed a battery of cognitive tests previously shown to discriminate among the three EF components. Principal component analysis conducted on the selected cognitive test variables yielded three expected EF components. The component scores were used in regression analysis to assess the relationship between the EF efficiency and blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signal related to performing the n-back,