Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

BackgroundDeterioration of cognitive functions is common as Parkinson’s disease (PD) progresses and it varies from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia.ObjectiveWe aimed to focus on MCI in PD patients, both newly diagnosed cases and chronic cases.Patients and MethodsOur study was conducted on 50 PD male patients, 25 newly diagnosed, 25 chronic patients as well as 50 healthy persons as matched control group were selected. Participants were subjected to Complete neuropsychiatric examination, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM IV-TR Axis I Disorders (SCID I), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), P300( auditory event-related potential).Results27 (54%) of patients score < 26 in the MoCA test compared to 12 (24%) of the control group with high statistical significance. A comparison between newly diagnosed cases & chronic cases of PD regarding the cognitive subarea of the MoCA test shows that there was a statistically significant difference regarding attention, language, and delayed recall. P300 shows that 32 (64%) of patients with PD had prolonged latency & 30 (60%) had low amplitude compared to [14 (28%), 16 (23%) respectively] of the control group with statistical significance. Comparison between newly diagnosed cases & chronic cases of PD regarding P300 shows that 20 (80%) of patients with chronic Parkinson’s disease had prolonged latency and 18 (72%) had low amplitude compared to newly diagnosed cases in which 12 (48%) had prolonged latency and 12 (48%) had low amplitude with a statistically significant difference.ConclusionPD patients are frequently encountered with issues concerning cognitive deficits. Prediction and early diagnosis of these deficits are mandatory.