Neural Network Modeling of Voluntary Single-Joint Movement Organization II. Parkinson’s Disease

The organization of voluntary movement is disrupted in Parkinson's disease. The neural network models of voluntary movement preparation and execution presented in the previous chapter are extended here by studying the effects of dopamine depletion in the output of the basal ganglia and in key neuronal types in the cortex and spinal cord. The resulting extended DA–VITE–FLETE model offers an integrative perspective on corticospinal control of Parkinsonian voluntary movement. The model accounts for most of the known empirical signatures of Parkinsonian willful action.