Characteristics of prospective memory impairment and event-related potentials changes in Parkinson's disease patients without early treatment

Abstract

Objective To investigate the characteristics of prospective memory impairment and event related potentials(ERPs)changes in Parkinson's disease(PD)patients without early treatment.Methods Event-based prospective memory(EBPM),time-based prospective memory(TBPM)and ERPs were examined in 33 PD patients and 31 healthy controls matched with age,gender,education and occupation.Results The scores of EBPM and TBPM in PD patients were significantly lower than those in normal controls(P＜0.05).The latencies of N2 and P300 were significantly prolonged,and P300amplitude was markedly decreased in PD patients as compared with those in normal controls(P＜0.05).The relative analysis showed that the P300 latency was positively correlated with both EBPM(r=0.628,P=0.000)and TBPM(r=0.582,P=0.000).Conclusion The EBPM and TBPM impairment might exist in PD patients without early treatment; the P300 latency can be used as a predictive electrophysiological marker to assess the severity of EBPM and TBPM impairment in PD patients. Key words: Parkinson disease; Memory disorder; Neuropsychological test; Cognition