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Decision-making cognition in neurodegenerative diseases

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 6, pages 611–623 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

A large proportion of human social neuroscience research has focused on the issue of decision-making. Impaired decision-making is a symptomatic feature of a number of neurodegenerative diseases, but the nature of these decision-making deficits depends on the particular disease. Thus, examining the qualitative differences in decision-making impairments associated with different neurodegenerative diseases could provide valuable information regarding the underlying neural basis of decision-making. Nevertheless, few comparative reports of decision-making across patient groups exist. In this Review, we examine the neuroanatomical substrates of decision-making in relation to the neuropathological changes that occur in Alzheimer disease, frontotemporal dementia, Parkinson disease and Huntington disease. We then examine the main findings from studies of decision-making in these neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, we suggest a number of recommendations that future studies could adopt to aid our understanding of decision-making cognition.

Key Points

  • Decision-making is a complex mental function influenced by multiple cognitive and behavioral processes

  • Several tasks have been developed that assess different types of decision-making

  • Understanding how different brain areas contribute to successful performance on decision-making tasks can help us to identify which pathological changes associated with specific neurodegenerative diseases contribute to poor decision-making

  • Studies that incorporate multiple measures of decision-making in the same patient populations, as well as assessment of other cognitive and behavioral processes, could further our knowledge of decision-making cognition

  • Elucidation of the processes underlying decision-making could lead to more-objective diagnostic tests for impairments in this cognitive function, as well as the development of effective rehabilitation strategies and pharmacological treatments

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Figure 1: A neuroanatomical model of decision-making.

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Acknowledgements

This Review was supported by a FINECO grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Cognitive Neurology (INECO), Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, 3293 (1425), Castex, Argentina

    Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht, María Roca, Teresa Torralva & Facundo Manes

  2. University Diego Portales, Manuel Rodríguez Sur 415 (8370179), Santiago, Chile and National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Agustín Ibáñez

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  1. Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht
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E. Gleichgerrcht and A. Ibáñez researched the data for the article, provided substantial contributions to discussions of the content, and contributed to the writing, reviewing and editing of the manuscript. M. Roca, T. Torralva and F. Manes provided substantial contributions to discussions of the content, and contributed to the writing, reviewing and editing of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ezequiel Gleichgerrcht.

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Gleichgerrcht, E., Ibáñez, A., Roca, M. et al. Decision-making cognition in neurodegenerative diseases. Nat Rev Neurol 6, 611–623 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2010.148

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