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Dopa therapy and action impulsivity: subthreshold error activation and suppression in Parkinson’s disease

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Abstract

Rationale

Impulsive actions entail (1) capture of the motor system by an action impulse, which is an urge to act and (2) failed suppression of that impulse in order to prevent a response error. Several studies indicate that dopaminergic treatment can induce action impulsivity in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Whether this effect is due to increased impulse expression or to decreased impulse suppression remains to be deciphered.

Method

We used a novel approach based on electromyographic (EMG) analyses to decipher the effects of the patient’s usual dopaminergic therapy on the expression and suppression of subliminal erroneous impulses. To this end, we used a within-subject design and took advantage of the Simon task, that elicits prepotent response tendencies. The patients (N = 15) performed the task on their usual dopaminergic medication and after complete medication withdrawal (for at least 12 h).

Results

The correction rate that measures the ability to suppress subthreshold impulsive muscle activity was lower when the patients were on medication as compared to their off medication state (p < 0.05). The incorrect activation rate that measures the capture of the motor system by action impulses was unaffected by medication.

Conclusions

Dopa therapy affected action impulsivity. Although medication did not influence the incidence of fast action impulses, it significantly reduced patients’ ability to abort and suppress muscle activation related to the incorrect response alternative.

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Acknowledgments

The present work was supported by an AORC grant from APHM to Frédérique Fluchère. Borís Burle is supported by a European Research Council under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013 Grant Agreement no. 241077).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, Fédération de Recherche Comportement-Cerveau-Cognition, Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, Marseille, France

    Frédérique Fluchère, Manon Deveaux, Borís Burle, Franck Vidal & Thierry Hasbroucq

  2. Aix-Marseille University, 13284, Marseille, France

    Frédérique Fluchère, Tatiana Witjas, Alexandre Eusebio & Jean-Philippe Azulay

  3. APHM, La Timone, Department of Neurology and Movement Disorders, Pôle de Neurosciences cliniques, 13385, Marseille cedex 05, France

    Frédérique Fluchère, Tatiana Witjas, Alexandre Eusebio & Jean-Philippe Azulay

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wery P. M. van den Wildenberg

  5. Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wery P. M. van den Wildenberg

  6. Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone UMR 7289, Aix Marseille University – CNRS, 13284, Marseille, France

    Tatiana Witjas, Alexandre Eusebio & Jean-Philippe Azulay

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  1. Frédérique Fluchère
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  2. Manon Deveaux
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  3. Borís Burle
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  4. Franck Vidal
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  9. Thierry Hasbroucq
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Correspondence to Frédérique Fluchère.

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Fluchère, F., Deveaux, M., Burle, B. et al. Dopa therapy and action impulsivity: subthreshold error activation and suppression in Parkinson’s disease. Psychopharmacology 232, 1735–1746 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3805-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-014-3805-x

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