Researchers from the University of Dundee are looking for healthy volunteers to take part in a study into brain waves that tests Decision-Making in Parkinson’s disease. Healthy volunteers will act as a control group for comparison with patients who have Parkinsons Disease.
People with Parkinson’s disease commonly experience symptoms of Apathy, that means their motivation to act or make decisions is reduced. Apathy can have a significant impact on the quality of life for Parkinsons patients. Why this happens and how to treat this symptom is unknown.
In a previous study the research team used brain scans to find a circuit in the brain that helps maintain levels of motivation in patients without apathy.
They now hope to find the same compensatory circuit in the brain’s electrical activity, its “brain waves”, using Electroencephalography (EEG). By understanding this circuit better they will be able to develop new treatments for people with Parkinson’s disease who suffer from Apathy.
If you are interested in supporting this research, note that participation involves two visits to the clinical research centre at Ninewells hospital in Dundee, each taking between 2-3 hours.
In the first visit you will have an interview with the researchers to assess your personal levels of Apathy, and other characteristics, and a session using a computer game while the researchers record your brain activity using EEG. EEG involves placing a cap with 32 electrodes onto your scalp and treat it with conductive gel – this is completely harmless and can be rinsed off easily after the experiment). On the second visit, EEG recordings will continue with a different computer game.
If you would like to take part in this study, please get in touch with the SHARE Studies Team by telephone on 01382 383235 or email at [email protected] and we can tell you more about the study.
