The Japanese journal of neuropsychology

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ArticleTitle	Decision making and social cognitive functions in Parkinson's disease
Language	J
AuthorList	Mutsutaka Kobayakawa
Affiliation	Department of Neurolgy, Showa University School of Medicine
Publication	Japanese Journal of Neuropsychology: 25 (1), 30-36, 2009
Received
Accepted
Abstract	Recent studies suggest that social recognition processes are affected by Parkinson's disease (PD). We examined the decision making of PD patients performing the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). We also recorded the skin conductance responses (SCRs) during the task as a measure of emotional arousal. Compared with the normal control (NC) subjects, PD patients selected more disadvantageous decks in the IGT, and their SCRs were lower than those of NC subjects before making decisions and after receiving reward or punishment. Behavioral and SCR patterns of PD patients were similar to those of amygdala-damaged patients. The response bias toward risky choices in PD may be explained by the dysfunction of the amygdala, which is known to be involved in risk evaluation. According to the pathological model of PD introduced by Braak (2004), limbic lesions, including amygdala lesions, occur in a relatively early stage of PD. The above results are consistent with this notion. Emotional impairment in PD patients may reflect amygdala dysfunction in early PD.
Keywords	Parkinson's disease, social cognition, decision making, Iowa gambling task, skin conductance response