engleski

Emotional disorders and cognitive decline in patients with Parkinson's disease

Introduction: Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often develop both cognitive and emotional disturbances, depression often being the main psychiatric symptom. The prolonged latencies of P300 component of the event-related potentials (ERP) are connected with the cognitive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate wheter the emotional disturbances in patients with PD are cognitive state dependent. Subjects and methods: The group of 30 patients with PD was tested for the level of depressive symptoms using the Montgomery Aasberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The P300 component of ERP was investigated using a classic auditory “odball” paradigm. In addition, the subscales of the Unified Parkinson Disease rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoen-Yahr Scale and Schwab and England Scale were performed. Results: All patients tested have shown the increase of P300 latencies, particulary for the target stimuli (Average values 403 ms at Fz and 413 ms at Pz). Higher MADRS scores were associated with lower Schwab and England Scale scores and higher UPDRS scores with subscale II of UPDRS (Activities of Daily Living) showing the strongest correlation. Conclusions: This study emphasises the importance on focusing on both emotional and cognitive disturbances in patients with PD. Psychiatric symptoms in patients with PD seem to be associated with cognitive deficits, not primarily with motor symptoms. Frontal lobe related decrease of amplitude of ERP may indicate interaction between mechanism of major depression and neurophysiological factors in PD.

cognitive; Parkinsons disease

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