A 2-year follow-up study on cognitive function of patients with Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Objective To investigate the change and its related risk factors of cognitive function of patients with Parkinson's disease(PD). Methods The cognitive function of 70 idiopathic PD patients were assessed with Montreal cognitive assessment scale (MoCA), and other PD related neuropsychological test batteries were used to evaluate their movement symptoms and non-movement symptoms such as depression and anxiety.Patients’ personal information were collected at the same time. They were reassessed after 2 years. Results As the disease progressed, the MoCA score of the PD patients significantly reduced from (24.79±4.07) points to (21.69±5.22) points (P<0.01). Seven subdomains of MoCA were attenuated, and 5 of them reached statistical significance. Motor subtype was a main predictor of the outcome of the cognitive impairment in PD. Scores of MoCA total score, naming, language, abstract and directional domains reduced more notably in patients with postural instability gait difficulty(PIGD) than those in the tremor dominant(TD) patients. Conclusion Cognitive function of PD patients decreases obviously after 2 years. The patients' cognitive impairment should be identified and intervened as soon as possible, especially the patients with PIGD. Key words: Parkinson's disease; Cognitive impairment; Follow-up; MoCA