Cognitive Dysfunction in Parkinson’s Disease: The Role of Frontostriatal Circuitry

Abstract

It has been known for many years that the classic motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are accompanied by deficits of executive function that resemble those seen after frontal lobe damage in humans. What is less clear is how different components of frontostriatal circuitry contribute to these impairments. Recently, improved methods of clinical assessment and classification, combined with novel technical approaches, such as functional neuroimaging, have led to great advances in our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that drive frontostriatal circuitry. As a direct result, it has been possible to redefine impairments of executive function in Parkinson’s disease more precisely in terms of the specific neuropsychological, neuroanatomical, and psychopharmacological mechanisms involved.