Biomaterial Database

Dopaminergic stimulation in unilateral neglect. 1998

G Geminiani, and G Bottini, and R Sterzi

Department of Psychology, University of Turin, and Istituto Nazionale Neurologico C Besta, Milan, Italy.

OBJECTIVE To explore the hypothesis that dopaminergic circuits play a part in the premotor components of the unilateral neglect syndrome, the effects of acute dopaminergic stimulation in patients with neglect were studied. METHODS Two tasks were evaluated before and after subcutaneous administration of apomorphine and placebo: a circle crossing test and a test of target exploration (a modified version of the bell test), performed both in perceptual (counting) and in perceptual-motor (pointing) conditions. METHODS Four patients with left neglect. RESULTS After dopaminergic stimulation, a significant improvement was found compared with placebo administration and baseline evaluation, in the performance of the two tests. Three of the patients had a more marked improvement in the perceptual-motor condition (pointing) of the task than the perceptual condition (counting). CONCLUSIONS The findings suggest that dopaminergic neuronal networks may mediate, in different ways, both perceptive and premotor components of the unilateral neglect syndrome.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009415	Nerve Net	A meshlike structure composed of interconnecting nerve cells that are separated at the synaptic junction or joined to one another by cytoplasmic processes. In invertebrates, for example, the nerve net allows nerve impulses to spread over a wide area of the net because synapses can pass information in any direction.	Neural Networks (Anatomic),Nerve Nets,Net, Nerve,Nets, Nerve,Network, Neural (Anatomic),Networks, Neural (Anatomic),Neural Network (Anatomic)
D009483	Neuropsychological Tests	Tests designed to assess neurological function associated with certain behaviors. They are used in diagnosing brain dysfunction or damage and central nervous system disorders or injury.	Aphasia Tests,Cognitive Test,Cognitive Testing,Cognitive Tests,Memory for Designs Test,Neuropsychological Testing,AX-CPT,Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome,CANTAB,Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery,Clock Test,Cognitive Function Scanner,Continuous Performance Task,Controlled Oral Word Association Test,Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System,Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment,Hooper Visual Organization Test,NEPSY,Neuropsychologic Tests,Neuropsychological Test,Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test,Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status,Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure,Symbol Digit Modalities Test,Test of Everyday Attention,Test, Neuropsychological,Tests, Neuropsychological,Tower of London Test,Neuropsychologic Test,Test, Cognitive,Testing, Cognitive,Testing, Neuropsychological,Tests, Cognitive
D009949	Orientation	Awareness of oneself in relation to time, place and person.	Cognitive Orientation,Mental Orientation,Psychological Orientation,Cognitive Orientations,Mental Orientations,Orientation, Cognitive,Orientation, Mental,Orientation, Psychological,Orientations,Orientations, Cognitive,Orientations, Mental,Orientations, Psychological,Psychological Orientations
D011597	Psychomotor Performance	The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity.	Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D002544	Cerebral Infarction	The formation of an area of NECROSIS in the CEREBRUM caused by an insufficiency of arterial or venous blood flow. Infarcts of the cerebrum are generally classified by hemisphere (i.e., left vs. right), lobe (e.g., frontal lobe infarction), arterial distribution (e.g., INFARCTION, ANTERIOR CEREBRAL ARTERY), and etiology (e.g., embolic infarction).	Anterior Choroidal Artery Infarction,Cerebral Infarct,Infarction, Cerebral,Posterior Choroidal Artery Infarction,Subcortical Infarction,Cerebral Infarction, Left Hemisphere,Cerebral Infarction, Right Hemisphere,Cerebral, Left Hemisphere, Infarction,Cerebral, Right Hemisphere, Infarction,Infarction, Cerebral, Left Hemisphere,Infarction, Cerebral, Right Hemisphere,Infarction, Left Hemisphere, Cerebral,Infarction, Right Hemisphere, Cerebral,Left Hemisphere, Cerebral Infarction,Left Hemisphere, Infarction, Cerebral,Right Hemisphere, Cerebral Infarction,Right Hemisphere, Infarction, Cerebral,Cerebral Infarctions,Cerebral Infarcts,Infarct, Cerebral,Infarction, Subcortical,Infarctions, Cerebral,Infarctions, Subcortical,Infarcts, Cerebral,Subcortical Infarctions
D004292	Dominance, Cerebral	Dominance of one cerebral hemisphere over the other in cerebral functions.	Cerebral Dominance,Hemispheric Specialization,Dominances, Cerebral,Specialization, Hemispheric
D004298	Dopamine	One of the catecholamine NEUROTRANSMITTERS in the brain. It is derived from TYROSINE and is the precursor to NOREPINEPHRINE and EPINEPHRINE. Dopamine is a major transmitter in the extrapyramidal system of the brain, and important in regulating movement. A family of receptors (RECEPTORS, DOPAMINE) mediate its action.	Hydroxytyramine,3,4-Dihydroxyphenethylamine,4-(2-Aminoethyl)-1,2-benzenediol,Dopamine Hydrochloride,Intropin,3,4 Dihydroxyphenethylamine,Hydrochloride, Dopamine
D005260	Female		Females