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High‐speed memory scanning in Parkmson's disease: Adverse effects of levodopa
Author(s) -
Poewe W.,
Berger W.,
Benke Th.,
Schelosky L.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.410290616
Subject(s) - levodopa , adverse effect , disease , medicine , psychology , parkinson's disease
High‐speed memory scanning as assessed by the Sternberg paradigm was studied in 12 nondemented patients with fluctuating Parkinson's disease and 13 age‐matched healthy controls. Patients were first assesed before taking their morning dose of levodopa (“off”) and again after that dose had produced full clinical effect(“on”). Although motor components of the measured choice reaction time were slower in patients when off than in control subjects, memory scanning speed was not different. After levodopa (on), patients' motor time normalized, but cognitive processing speed became significantly slower when compared with previous performance in the off condition and with controls. Contrary to previous concepts of bradyphrenia in patients with Parkinson's diesase, these results indicate that dopaminergic stimulation can reduce cognitive processing speed.