EXECUTIVE DYSFUNCTION/PARKINSON' S DISEASE

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Parkinson's disease (PD) is defined by its motor abnormalities and associated dopaminergic loss, but it is invariably accompanied by cognitive impairment (1). Early in the disease course, the deficits are characterized by executive dysfunction with difficulties on tasks that involve information processing, attention, sorting, planning, set-shifting, and working memory and are subserved by neural connections with prefrontal brain regions. There has been little effort to identify treatments for these PD-related cognitive impairments or their progression, despite their disabling and distressing effects. Accordingly, the goal of this proposal is to conduct a small pilot study to determine the effectiveness and tolerability of atomoxetine, a selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, for the treatment of executive dysfunction in patients with PD. Atomoxetine (Strattera) is currently approved by the FDA for treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adults. Atomoxetine enhances dopaminergic and noradrenergic transmission in prefrontal regions that are also implicated in executive dysfunction and thus has the potential to improve executive dysfunction in PD as well as other neurological conditions (2;3). Results of the study will be used to develop a larger placebo-controlled trial of atomoxetine, if appropriate, as well as inform the design of other clinical trials on potential treatments for cognitive dysfunction in PD.