Project Summary

Irene H. Richard, M.D. (Young Investigator 2000) of University of Rochester, is developing Parkinson's Disease as an experimental model of changing mood states.  This disease causes alterations in the chemical dopamine, resulting in dramatic fluctuations in motor symptoms.  Clarifying the neurobiological basis of changes in mood among Parkinson's disease patients may have relevance to psychiatric mood disorders since the basal ganglia and altered dopamine have been implicated in the latter.  Patients with Parkinson's Disease will complete detailed diaries documenting their mood and motor state, and those with mood fluctuations will receive detailed assessments and intravenous levodopa treatment.  This work may lead to a better understanding of changing mood states, their relationship to motor function, and their underlying mechanisms.

Program Area: MOOD DISORDERS\Depression (Unipolar)

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