A new study examining the possible effects of Parkinson's disease
on certain kinds of decision-making and learning has begun at the
University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). The project, which is
funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, is headed by Dr.
Gregory Ashby, a professor in the Department of Psychology at UCSB.
The classic symptom of Parkinson's disease is difficulty in
movement. A number of recent research results, however, indicate that
Parkinson's disease might sometimes also cause changes in how people
perform certain everyday cognitive (i.e., mental) tasks. Examples might
include creative problem solving and learning new categories of objects
and events. Unfortunately, compared to how much is known about the
changes that occur in movement, very little is known about these possible
cognitive effects of the disease.
The UCSB project will attempt to determine whether Parkinson's
disease does cause changes in cognitive tasks, and if so, it will attempt
to determine which tasks are affected and which are not. In a typical
experiment, participants will be shown a series of pictures of simple
objects, each of which will be from one of two different categories of
pictures. The participant's task in such studies will be to learn the
rule for assigning each picture to its correct category.
The results of this project will provide important new insights
into our understanding of Parkinson's disease, and could lead to its more
accurate diagnosis and treatment. Anyone with Parkinson's disease who is
interested in participating in this study is encouraged to call
805-893-7909, or to contact Dr. Gregory Ashby, Department of Psychology,
University of California, Santa Barbara 93106
(email: [log in to unmask]).
Participants will be paid $10 for each 50 minute
session of participation.
