Nandakumar Narayanan
Abstract Cognitive symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) include deficits in attention, working memory, and reasoning. These deficits affect up to 80% of PD patients and lead to mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and dementia in PD (PDD). There is a critical need to better understand cognitive impairment in PD to develop new targeted treatments. The long-term goal is to define the mechanisms of PD-related cognitive impairment. PD involves diverse processes such as dopamine and acetylcholine dysfunction, synuclein aggregation, and genetic factors. During the past funding period, the investigators linked PD-related cognitive impairment to dysfunction in frontal midline delta (1-4 Hz) and theta (5-7 Hz) rhythms, which the work has established as a marker of cognitive control. However, it is unknown why PD patients have deficits in these low-frequency brain rhythms. The preliminary magnetic resonance imaging (MEG) and magnetoencephalography (MRI) implicate the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) as a potential source of frontal midline delta/theta rhythms. In the next funding period, the objective is to determine the mechanisms and predictive power of delta/theta rhythms in PD, which will help to better understand the pathophysiology of PD-related cognitive impairment. Collaboration between the University of New Mexico (UNM) and University of Iowa (UI) that will bring together MEG, MRI, longitudinal EEG, and adaptive subthalamic (STN) deep-brain stimulation (DBS). The investigators will test the overall hypothesis that frontal midline delta/theta dysfunction contributes to cognitive impairments in PD. In Aim 1, the investigators will determine the structural basis for delta/theta rhythm deficits in PD. In Aim 2, the investigators will determine the predictive power of delta/theta rhythm deficits in PD. In Aim 3, the investigators will determine how tuned low-frequency STN DBS impacts cortical activity and cognition. The results will have relevance for basic-science knowledge of the fundamental pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in PD and related dementias. Because this proposal will study patients with PDD, the findings are directly relevant to Alzheimer's-related dementias (ADRD).
Up to 80% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) will suffer from cognitive symptoms, including impaired attention, planning, reasoning, and working memory as well as hallucinations, visuospatial dysfunction, and delusions. These impairments lead to mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and dementia (PDD) in PD. Cognitive symptoms of PD are associated with enormous costs to society. There are no clear biomarkers and few effective treatments for PD-MCI/PDD. Because risk for PD increases dramatically with age, this problem will surge as the population grows older. The mechanisms contributing to…
We will study individuals with idiopathic mild-moderate Parkinson's Disease. Diagnosis will be confirmed by Dr. Narayanan - a neurologist. Inclusion criteria: GROUP 1: Parkinson's disease without cognitive impairment 1. Parkinson's disease, with MOCA \> 26 2. under stable PD medication 3. able to walk independently, make their own decisions 4. age range = 18 - 89 years old GROUP 2: Parkinson's disease with mild cognitive impairment 1. Parkinson's disease, with MOCA 23-26 2. under stable PD medication 3. able to walk independently, make their own decisions 4. age range = 18 - 89 years old…
a neurosurgical procedure that uses implanted electrodes and electrical stimulation to treat movement disorders and certain neuropsychiatric conditions when medications are ineffective or cause significant side effects.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive treatment that uses magnetic fields to stimulate specific areas of the brain.
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that uses weak, alternating electrical currents applied to the scalp to modulate brain activity and potentially influence cognitive processes by entraining brain oscillations.