A value-based decision-making to understand disrupted motivation in Parkinson’s disease

Loss of motivation (apathy) significantly affects the lives of many people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and neural evidence links it to systems crucial for goal-directed behaviour. 

Decision-making neuroscience, informed by work across species, provides a mechanistic framework within which to examine how rewards and costs of actions underpin goal-directed behaviour.

Decision-making experiments in people with PD demonstrate distinct behavioural signatures of apathy, whilst also advancing understanding of the role of neuromodulators like dopamine.

 Specific cognitive processes, including executive functions, may modulate the relationship between apathy, neuromodulators, and decision making.

Applying more complex models of decisions to the behaviour and neurophysiology of people living with PD are exciting research avenues that promise to deepen understanding of this important clinical area.

https://www.cell.com/trends/neurosciences/fulltext/S0166-2236(25)00039-6

https://sciencemission.com/a-value-based-decision-making-lens-in-PD