The Effects Of Dopaminergic Medication On Cognitive Functionof Decision-making In Patients With Early Stage Parkinson’s Disease

Objective Decision-making is a complex process of evaluating alternatives to choose the best,which is a comprehensive psychological procedure that is affected by various cognitive and behavioral processes.The impaired decision-making capacity of patients with Parkinson’s disease(PD)can have a serious impact on their ability to work,social interaction and daily life.This study was to estimate the effects of dopaminergic medication on decision-making under risky situation in PD patients.Method The Game of Dice Test(GDT)was used to test the ability of decision-making under risky situation.40 idiopathic PD patients after temporary withdrawal of dopaminergic medication for at least 12 hours(OFF group),40 idiopathic PD patients with regular dopaminergic medication(ON group)and 40 healthy controls(HC)matched to PD patients are included in this study.Result In the Game of Dice Test,the patients ON medication showed a significant preference for the disadvantageous choices compared with the patients OFF mdication and healthy subjects(risky options: ON: 10.85±5.43;OFF:7.82±4.81;HC: 7.05±5.38;p<0.05;safe options:ON: 7.15±5.43;OFF: 10.17±4.81;HC: 10.95±5.38;P<0.05).Conclusion The present study has shown that both PD patients on and off dopaminergic medication tend to take more risky choices under risky situation.And regular dopaminergic medication can lead to more risky choices.