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Cognitive speed in nondemented Parkinson's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 1998

MARCIA C. SMITH ,
WILLIAM P. GOLDMAN ,
KEVIN W. JANER ,
JACK D. BATY  and
JOHN C. MORRIS
MARCIA C. SMITH
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO Marcia C. Smith is now at the University of Portsmouth, Department of Psychology, Portsmouth, UK.
WILLIAM P. GOLDMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
KEVIN W. JANER
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
JACK D. BATY
Affiliation:
Division of Biostatistics and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
JOHN C. MORRIS
Affiliation:
Departments of Neurology and Pathology and the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO
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Abstract

Studies of speed of cognitive processing in Parkinson's disease (PD) have yielded mixed results. This may relate in part to a differential effect on cognitive speed by the type of information to be processed. In the present study, we compared medication fasted, nondemented individuals with mild idiopathic PD (N = 26) with age-matched controls (N = 12) on a test requiring easy and hard same–different discriminations for verbal, quantitative, and spatial information, as well as on a traditional memory scanning paradigm. A voice-activated relay rather than a key press was used to eliminate the need for limb and finger movements. Simple reaction time and movement time were also measured in a task requiring subjects to move a hand held stylus to a designated target. The PD group performed as fast as the control group across all tasks except movement time. Thus, in our paradigm, the presence of PD alone does not predict cognitive slowing in the presence of motor slowing. (JINS, 1998, 4, 584–592.)

Keywords

Parkinson's diseaseBradyphreniaCognitive speed
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 4 , Issue 6 , November 1998 , pp. 584 - 592
Copyright
© 1998 The International Neuropsychological Society

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