Associate Professor
UQ Centre for Clinical Research
Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Dopaminergic and subcortical modulation of language processing
The influence of dopamine on language processing is largely unknown.
This presentation will provide evidence from individuals with Parkinson’s on and off levodopa and receiving deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus suggesting subcortical modulation of lexical-semantic processing.
Subsequent fMRI and behavioural studies of healthy individuals on levodopa will be presented, supporting the view that dopamine enhances language learning and influences language processing through cortical and subcortical mechanisms.