Topic: caudate nucleus

The neurophysiological mechanisms of impaired manual dexterity in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have not been elucidated. Hence, our study aimed to compare healthy subjects (HCO) and mildly affected PD patients and to evaluate associations between parameters: (i) striatal dopaminergic function; (ii) activity of the motor cortex; (iii) brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and (iv) manual dexterity.The study involved fifteen HCO subjects and thirty patients with mild PD. All subjects were assessed by: (i) Positron Emission Computed Tomography with estimation of striatal [18F]Fluorodopa uptake rat

Sequential decision-making in a dynamic environment requires foresight into future states often influenced by other agents. This study seeks to uncover the neural correlates underlying the computation of self and opponent action values in the brain. To achieve this, rhesus monkeys were trained in a competitive strategy board game, called “four-in-a-row,” in which they placed a series of stones on a 4-by-9 board, taking turns with a computer opponent. In this game, players win by placing a series of four stones horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, and the animal was rewarded only for winnin

Decision-making is a higher-order brain function that consists in choosing between behaviors/options. Basal ganglia (BG) dysfunction is known to be involved in decision-making deficits observed in patients suffering from BG-related disorders including neurological (e.g., Parkinson's disease) and psychiatric (e.g., obsessive compulsive disorders) disorders. However, the neural mechanisms and computations of decision-making in BG network are elusive and do not satisfactorily reflect the complex and known BG anatomy and physiology. Moreover, there are different types of value-related information