Abstract
Abstract Objective Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) commonly experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, often garnered through informant interview, that may be associated with poorer cognitive functioning. Recently, the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) was found to have three factors with differential association to cognition in patients with PD. We sought to further examine this relationship in those with the condition. Method A sample of 42 patients with PD were seen for neuropsychological evaluation (85.7% male, 97.6% White, mean age 70.88 [SD = 7.16], mean years education 15.74 [SD = 2.99]). A knowledgeable informant completed the NPI-Q. Spearman correlations examined relationships between cognition (Digit Span, BVMT-R, CVLT-3, BNT-2, D-KEFS Color-Word Interference, COWAT, Animal Fluency, Trail Making Test), NPI-Q Total Severity, and severity for three factors (Mood [depression, anxiety, apathy, motor, nighttime behaviors, eating]; Hyperactivity [mania, aggression/agitation, disinhibition, irritability]; Psychotic Symptoms [delusions, hallucinations]). Results NPI-Q total severity was generally low (mean = 3.90, SD = 5.12). Total severity and severity of Mood and Hyperactivity were unrelated to cognition. More severe Psychotic Symptoms were related to worse Digit Span (r = −0.41, p = 0.008), BVMT-R Learning (r = −0.33, p = 0.03) and Delayed Recall (r = −0.34, p = 0.03), and D-KEFS Inhibition Time (r = 0.44, p = 0.006). Conclusions In a modest sample of patients with PD, severity of psychotic symptoms was related to worse auditory attention/working memory, visual learning and memory, and inhibition. No other NPI-Q score was associated with cognitive functioning. Findings support the utility of the NPI-Q in PD and the importance of considering specific neuropsychiatric factors and their implications for cognitive functioning.
Published Version
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