Detection of Executive Deficits in patients with early Parkinson Disease

MARÍA ROCA; TERESA TORRALVA; FACUNDO MANES

Bilbao

Encuentro; Join Mid-Year Meeting; 2007

The International Neuropsychological Society, Federation of Spanish Societies of Neuropsychology, Spanish Neuropsychological Society, Spanish Psychiatry Society

Objective: the objective of this study is to asses cognitive functions in patients in the early stages of the disease and to examine both the sensitivity of standard cognitive tests as well as more complex and ecological executive battery for it´s detection. Participants and methods: 10 patients of recent diagnosis of PD (3 years or less), underwent a classical cognitive battery and a more specific and complex executive ecological examination. 10 healthy controls matched for sex, age and education level were also examined. The “ecological” executive battery included tests proven to be sensitive to prefrontal dysfunction including test of Theroy of Mind (Eyes Recognition), Planning and Organization (the Hotel Task and an adaptation fo the Met-hv) and Decision making (the Iowa Gambling task – IGT). Results: there were no significant differences detected among patients and controls in age, educational level nor premorbid IQ. There were no significant differentes in any of the classical test of cognitive functions. On the contrary the ecological battery proved to be sensitive enough to cognitive chantes in early PD thus revealing differences in theory of mind (p=0.045), Planning and organization (Met p=0.01) and decision making (IGT 5 p=0.02). Conclusions: patients with early PD showed impairment in executive functions despite not having detected anything with standard cognitive tests. This impairment was captured with more ecological executive battery revealing that this battery is much more sensitive to the cognitive deficits found in early stages of PD than standard cognitive tests.