Dr MacDonald’s research focuses on the behavioural, neurophysiological and genetic mechanisms of impulse control i.e. how we control our actions. She is especially interested in how these mechanisms may be influenced by dopamine dysregulation as seen in Parkinson’s disease and other dopamine-related disorders. She utilizes techniques such as non-invasive brain stimulation, genotyping, computational modelling and electroencephalography to investigate mechanisms of inhibitory control.

You can read a bit more about her current research focus in this article.

Head of the Bergen Dopamine Group (website coming soon), which is affiliated with the Bergen fMRI Group.

Guest Editor on Special Topic Collection for Experimental Brain Research, 'Dopamine System Involvement in Impulse Control' Link to Collection page

NB. Might appear in the University of Bergen system under married name of McCardle.

Course coordinator for PRPSYK303 

Editorial

• MacDonald, Hayley Jessica; Ruitenberg, Marit F. L. (2024). Dopamine system involvement in impulse control. (external link)

Academic article

• Hall, Alison; Weightman, Matthew; Jenkinson, Ned et al. (2023). Performance on the balloon analogue risk task and anticipatory response inhibition task is associated with severity of impulse control behaviours in people with Parkinson’s disease. (external link)
• Hall, Alison; Jenkinson, Ned; McDonald, Hayley J. (2022). Exploring stop signal reaction time over two sessions of the anticipatory response inhibition task. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Warden, A. C. M., McAllister, C., Ruitenberg, M. F. L., MacDonald, H. J (2025) Impulse Control in Parkinson’s Disease: Distinct Effects between Action and Choice. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews. In press. 

Whooley, E., Koppelmans, V., MacDonald, H. J., Hall, A., Ruitenberg, M. (2025). Dopamine genetic risk scores and psychiatric symptoms: Interacting risk factors for impulse control behaviors in de novo Parkinson’s disease. Journal of Neuropsychology. doi: 10.1111/jnp.12415

MacDonald, H. J., Kleppe, R, Szigetvari, P. D., Haavik, J. (2024). The dopamine hypothesis for ADHD: An evaluation of evidence accumulated from human studies and animal models. Frontiers in Psychiatry. 15. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1492126

Hall, A., Weightman, M., Jenkinson, N., MacDonald, H.J., (2023). Performance on the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and Anticipatory Response Inhibition Task is Associated with Severity of Impulse Control Behaviours in People with Parkinson’s Disease. Experimental Brain Research. doi: 10.1007/s00221-023-06584-y

Hall, A., Jenkinson, N., and MacDonald, H. J., (2022) Exploring Stop Signal Reaction Time Over Two Sessions of the Anticipatory Response Inhibition Task. Experimental Brain Research. 240(11). doi: 10.1007/s00221-022-06480-x  

He, J.L., Hirst, R.J., Puri, R. … MacDonald, H.J., Chowdbury, N.S. … Puts, N.A.J. (2022) OSARI: an Open-Source Anticipated Response Inhibition task. Behav Res Methods. 54(3). doi:10.3758/s13428-021-01680-9

Hall, A., Weaver, S. R., …, MacDonald, H. J. (2021). Dopamine genetic risk score predicts impulse control behaviors in Parkinson's disease. Clin Park Relat Disord. 5. doi:10.1016/j.prdoa.2021.100113

MacDonald H.J., et al. (2021) The Role of Interhemispheric Communication During Complete and Partial Cancellation of Bimanual Responses. J Neurophysiol. 125(3). DOI: 10.1152/jn.00688.2020

MacDonald H. J., et al. (2019) Memory Deficits in Parkinson's Disease are Associated with Reduced Beta Power Modulation. Brain Communications. 1(1). DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcz040

Cirillo J, … MacDonald HJ, Byblow WD. (2018) Response Inhibition Activates Distinct Motor Cortical Inhibitory Processes. J Neurophysiol. 119(3). DOI: 10.1152/jn.00784.2017

MacDonald H.J., et al. (2017). An Activation Threshold Model for Response Inhibition. PLoS One. 12(1). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169320

Cowie M.J*, MacDonald H.J.*, et al. (2016) Proactive Modulation of Long-Interval Intracortical Inhibition During Response Inhibition. J Neurophysiol. 116(2). DOI: 10.1152/jn.00144.2016
*Shared first authorship

MacDonald H.J., et al. (2016) Dopamine Gene Profiling to Predict Impulse Control and Effects of Dopamine Agonist Ropinirole. J Cogn Neurosci,10(7). DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00946

MacDonald, H. J., & Byblow, W. D. (2015). Does Response Inhibition Have Pre- and Postdiagnostic Utility in Parkinson's Disease? J Mot Behav, 47(1). DOI: 10.1080/00222895.2014.941784

Ackerley S.J., … MacDonald H.J., et al. (2015) Primed Physical Therapy Enhances Recovery of Upper Limb Function in Chronic Stroke Patients. Neurorehab & Neural Repair, 30(4). DOI: 10.1177/1545968315595285

MacDonald, H. J., et al. (2014). The Fall and Rise of Corticomotor Excitability with Cancellation and Reinitiation of Prepared Action. J Neurophysiol, 112(11). DOI: 10.1152/jn.00366.2014

MacDonald, H. J., e al. (2012). Uncoupling Response Inhibition. J Neurophysiol, 108(5). DOI: 10.1152/jn.01184.2011

Preprints

Ratcliffe, C. E., McAllister, C. J., and MacDonald, H. J., Dual-Coil Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Reveals Temporal Dynamics of Bilateral Corticomotor Excitability During Response Inhibition. BIORXIV/2022/507942

MacDonald, H. J., Fasmer, OB., Jønsi, O. T., Sørensen, L. Capturing Trial-by-Trial Variability in Behaviour: People with Parkinson's Disease Exhibit a Greater Rate of Short-Term Fluctuations in Response Times. medRxiv, 2024.10. 10.24315225