Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease: More than a Frontostriatal Dysfunction

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iván Galtier ◽  
Antonieta Nieto ◽  
Jesús N. Lorenzo ◽  
José Barroso

AbstractCognitive deficit in Parkinson’s disease has been traditionally considered as being mainly related to executive dysfunction secondary to frontostriatal affectation. However, this traditional consideration has recently been challenged. Forty-three nondemented PD patients (mean age = 59.19; SD = 9.64) and twenty control group subjects (mean age = 60.85; SD = 12.26) were studied. They were assessed on a wide range of cognitive functions. Patients showed motor slowing (p = .012), along with alterations in visuoperceptive (p = .001), visuospatial (p = .007) and visuoconstructive functions (p = .017), as well as in visual span (direct: p = .008; inverse: p = .037). Regarding executive functions, differences were not observed in classical measures for verbal fluency (phonetic: p = .28; semantic: p = .27) or in response inhibition (Stroop test: p = .30), while execution was altered in other prefrontal tasks (Wisconsin Test: p = .003; action fluency: p = .039). Patients showed altered performance in verbal learning processes (p = .005) and delayed memory (free: p = .032; cued: p = .006), visuospatial learning (p = .016) and linguistic functions (naming: p < .001; comprehension: p = .007). Poor performance in visuospatial memory is predicted by deficits in working memory and visuospatial perception. Taken together, the observed alterations not only suggest prefrontal affectation, but also temporal and parietal systems impairment. Thus, cognitive dysfunction in nondemented PD patients cannot be exclusively explained by frontostriatal circuit affectation and the resulting executive dysfunction.

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward J. Gorzelańczyk ◽  
Dorota Ackermann-Szulgit ◽  
Marek Kunc ◽  
Marek Harat ◽  
Piotr Walecki

Abstract Thalamotomy is a neurosurgical procedure used in the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of our research is to evaluate the early impact of a lesion in the ventrointermedial nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus on cognitive and motor function in people with PD. Sixty patients who qualified for right- or left-sided VIM thalamotomy were involved in the study. The cognitive and motor functions of each patient were assessed both prior to and following the surgical procedure. Twenty-nine PD patients without ablative treatment were qualified for the comparison group, and 57 neurologically healthy individuals were assigned to the control group. The following tests were carried out: Mini Mental State Examination, Benton Visual Retention Test, Stroop Color and Word Test, Trail Making Test A&B, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Statistically significant differences were found in reaction time, visual-spatial working memory, auditory-verbal memory, and overall level of cognitive function when comparing the results of tests carried out before and after thalamotomy and when comparing patients who had undergone surgery with untreated or healthy individuals. In patients with right-sided and left-sided thalamotomy differences were also found in the mean number of perseverative errors and recalled words.


2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEVEN PAUL WOODS ◽  
ALEXANDER I. TRÖSTER

To identify the cognitive characteristics predictive of incident dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD), we examined the baseline neuropsychological profiles of 18 initially non-demented patients with PD who met diagnostic criteria for dementia (PDD) at one-year follow-up. PDD participants' baseline neuropsychological test scores were compared to the baseline performance of 18 patients with PD who did not meet criteria for dementia at one-year follow-up (PDND) and 18 normal controls (NC). The three groups were matched on baseline demographic and disease variables. Relative to the PDND group, the incident PDD participants demonstrated significantly poorer performance on digits backward (Wechsler Memory Scale–Revised), word list learning and recognition (California Verbal Learning Test), and perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Each of these baseline neuropsychological variables exhibited adequate diagnostic classification accuracy in predicting PDD and PDND group membership at follow-up. These results suggest that subtle frontal/executive dysfunction is evident during the immediate PDD prodrome and may be of prognostic value in identifying PD patients at risk for dementia. Accordingly, neuropsychological evaluation may facilitate early identification of PDD and thereby inform appropriate dispositional planning. (JINS, 2003, 9, 17–24.)


Author(s):  
Satoshi Kamei

Executive dysfunction (ExD) constitutes a core feature of the cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD). ExD in non-demented PD was evaluated using the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS), which provided for the first time a broad assessment of ExD in PD patients. ExD in non-demented PD patients are predisposed to a greater severity of PD, particularly in impairments in activities of daily living. Patients with non-demented PD exhibited a wide range of ExD symptoms. All components of ExD were correlated with severity of PD, but correlation patterns differed across components. The first quantitative EEG evaluation of the differences between PD with and without ExD was also described. PD with ExD exhibited an increase in slow wave activity and a decrease in alpha and fast wave activities in frontal pole and frontal locations. These findings suggest that the ExD in PD is caused by frontal dysfunction.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 571-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saül Martínez-Horta ◽  
Javier Pagonabarraga ◽  
Ramón Fernández de Bobadilla ◽  
Carmen García-Sanchez ◽  
Jaime Kulisevsky

AbstractApathy is a frequent syndrome in Parkinson's disease (PD) usually associated with depression, cognitive impairment (CI), and dementia. Whereas executive dysfunction seems to play a major causative role in the development of apathy in PD, recent findings pointed for the possible participation of other underlying mechanisms in the development of clinically meaningful symptoms of apathy. By means of neuropsychological testing focused over global cognitive functioning, set-shifting, decision making, and cognitive effort, we compared to a control group, a carefully selected sample of PD patients presenting apathy as the only neuropsychiatric symptom and without clinically relevant signs of cognitive impairment. In addition to the previously reported executive dysfunction, apathetic patients also exhibited significant difficulties in tasks assessing for cortical functioning, such as naming and clock drawing. Moreover, apathetic patients performed significantly better on a decision-making task, although any of these differences appeared linked to a lack of effort when performing the tasks. On the basis of our findings, we discuss the possible implication of added mechanisms rather than just executive dysfunction in the development of apathy in PD. (JINS, 2013, 19, 1–12.)


2010 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-251 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indira Silveira Campos-Sousa ◽  
Raimundo Nonato Campos-Sousa ◽  
Luiz Ataíde Jr ◽  
Marta Maria de Brito Soares ◽  
Kelson James Almeida

The aim of this study is to analyze executive function and motor symptoms in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). The sample consisted of 44 subjects with PD between the ages of 45 to 75, who were examined consecutively. The subjects were divided into two groups according to the duration of the disease. The control group was composed of spouses, family and accompanying members. Patients included were submitted to motor dysfunction evaluation using the UPDRS. The executive functions modalities analyzed included: operational memory, inhibitory control, planning, cognitive flexibility and inductive reasoning. Significant differences between the experimental and control groups were found in all the executive domains studied. Evidence of tremor, rigidity and bradykinesia correlation with executive dysfunction were not observed. Patients with PD, even in the initial phase of the disease, presented executive dysfunction. The cardinal motor signs of the disease were not correlated with the cognitive dysfunction found.


Author(s):  
Hamdy N. El-Tallawy ◽  
Tahia H. Saleem ◽  
Wafaa M. Farghaly ◽  
Heba Mohamed Saad Eldien ◽  
Ashraf Khodaery ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Parkinson’s disease is one of the neurodegenerative disorders that is caused by genetic and environmental factors or interaction between them. Solute carrier family 41 member 1 within the PARK16 locus has been reported to be associated with Parkinson’s disease. Cognitive impairment is one of the non-motor symptoms that is considered a challenge in Parkinson’s disease patients. This study aimed to investigate the association of rs11240569 polymorphism; a synonymous coding variant in SLC41A1 in Parkinson’s disease patients in addition to the assessment of cognitive impairment in those patients. Results In a case -control study, rs11240569 single nucleotide polymorphisms in SLC41A1, genes were genotyped in 48 Parkinson’s disease patients and 48 controls. Motor and non-motor performance in Parkinson's disease patients were assessed by using the Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). The genotype and allele frequencies were compared between the two groups and revealed no significant differences between case and control groups for rs11240569 in SLC41A1 gene with P value .523 and .54, respectively. Cognition was evaluated and showed the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of WAIS score of PD patients 80.4 ± 9.13 and the range was from 61 to 105, in addition to MMSE that showed mean ± SD 21.96 ± 3.8. Conclusion Genetic testing of the present study showed that rs11240569 polymorphism of SLC41A1 gene has no significant differences in distributions of alleles and genotypes between cases and control group, in addition to cognitive impairment that is present in a large proportion of PD patients and in addition to the strong correlation between cognitive impairment and motor and non-motor symptoms progression.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyoungwon Baik ◽  
Seon Myeong Kim ◽  
Jin Ho Jung ◽  
Yang Hyun Lee ◽  
Seok Jong Chung ◽  
...  

AbstractWe investigated the efficacy of donepezil for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD-MCI). This was a prospective, non-randomized, open-label, two-arm study. Eighty PD-MCI patients were assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received donepezil for 48 weeks. The primary outcome measures were the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Exam and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. Secondary outcome measures were the Clinical Dementia Rating, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III, Clinical Global Impression scores. Progression of dementia was assessed at 48-week. Comprehensive neuropsychological tests and electroencephalography (EEG) were performed at baseline and after 48 weeks. The spectral power ratio of the theta to beta2 band (TB2R) in the electroencephalogram was analyzed. There was no significant difference in the primary and secondary outcome measures between the two groups. However, the treatment group showed a significant decrease in TB2R at bilateral frontotemporoparietal channels compared to the control group. Although we could not demonstrate improvements in the cognitive functions, donepezil treatment had a modulatory effect on the EEG in PD-MCI patients. EEG might be a sensitive biomarker for detecting changes in PD-MCI after donepezil treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pusheng Quan ◽  
Kai Wang ◽  
Shi Yan ◽  
Shirong Wen ◽  
Chengqun Wei ◽  
...  

AbstractThis study aimed to identify potential novel drug candidates and targets for Parkinson’s disease. First, 970 genes that have been reported to be related to PD were collected from five databases, and functional enrichment analysis of these genes was conducted to investigate their potential mechanisms. Then, we collected drugs and related targets from DrugBank, narrowed the list by proximity scores and Inverted Gene Set Enrichment analysis of drug targets, and identified potential drug candidates for PD treatment. Finally, we compared the expression distribution of the candidate drug-target genes between the PD group and the control group in the public dataset with the largest sample size (GSE99039) in Gene Expression Omnibus. Ten drugs with an FDR < 0.1 and their corresponding targets were identified. Some target genes of the ten drugs significantly overlapped with PD-related genes or already known therapeutic targets for PD. Nine differentially expressed drug-target genes with p < 0.05 were screened. This work will facilitate further research into the possible efficacy of new drugs for PD and will provide valuable clues for drug design.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 687
Author(s):  
Valentina Varalta ◽  
Paola Poiese ◽  
Serena Recchia ◽  
Barbara Montagnana ◽  
Cristina Fonte ◽  
...  

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by motor and cognitive dysfunctions that can usually be treated by physiotherapy or cognitive training, respectively. The effects of consecutive physiotherapy and cognitive rehabilitation programs on PD deficits are less investigated. Objective: We investigated the effects of 3 months of physiotherapy (physiotherapy treatment group) or consecutive physiotherapy and cognitive (physiotherapy and cognitive treatment group) rehabilitation programs on cognitive, motor, and psychological aspects in 20 PD patients. Methods: The two groups switched programs and continued rehabilitation for another 3 months. The outcomes were score improvement on cognitive (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Frontal Assessment Battery, Trail Making Test, Verbal Phonemic Fluency, Digit Span, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning), motor (Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale-III, Berg Balance Scale, Two-Minute Walking Test, and Time Up and Go), and psychological (Beck Depression Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) scales. Results: Between-group comparison revealed a significant difference in functional mobility between the two rehabilitation programs. Improvements in walking abilities were noted after both interventions, but only the patients treated with consecutive training showed better performance on functional mobility and memory tasks. Conclusion: Our findings support the hypothesis that consecutive physiotherapy plus cognitive rehabilitation may have a greater benefit than physiotherapy alone in patients with PD.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lisa Damron ◽  
Irene Litvan ◽  
Ece Bayram ◽  
Sarah Berk ◽  
Bernadette Siddiqi ◽  
...  

Background: Hispanics are under-represented in Parkinson’s disease (PD) research despite the importance of diversity for results to apply to a wide range of patients. Objective: To investigate the perspective of Hispanic persons with Parkinson disease (PWP) regarding awareness, interest, and barriers to participation in research. Methods: We developed and administered a survey and qualitative interview in English and Spanish. For the survey, 62 Hispanic and 38 non-Hispanic PWP linked to a tertiary center were recruited in Arizona. For interviews, 20 Hispanic PWP, 20 caregivers, and six physicians providing service to Hispanic PWP in the community were recruited in California. Survey responses of Hispanic and non-Hispanic PWP were compared. Major survey themes were identified by applying grounded theory and open coding. Results: The survey found roughly half (Q1 54%, Q2 55%) of Hispanic PWP linked to a tertiary center knew about research; there was unawareness among community Hispanic PWP. Most preferred having physician recommendations for research participation and were willing to participate. Hispanics preferred teams who speak their native language and include family. Research engagement, PD knowledge, role of family, living with PD, PD care, pre-diagnosis/diagnosis emerged as themes from the interview. Conclusion: Barriers exist for participation of Hispanic PWP in research, primarily lack of awareness of PD research opportunities. Educating physicians of the need to encourage research participation of Hispanic PWP can address this. Physicians need to be aware of ongoing research and should not assume PWP disinterest. Including family members and providing research opportunities in their native language can increase research recruitment.


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