Issue title: Rehabilitation and Neurologic Repair in Parkinson's Disease
Guest editors: Ronald T. Seelx and David X. Cifuy
Article type: Research Article
Authors: Ong, Jason C.a | Seel, Ronald T.b | Carne, William F.c; * | Brown, Rashellec | Pegg, Phillip O.d | Jehle, Patrick J.e
Affiliations: [a] Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA | [b] Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center, Atlanta, GA, USA | [c] Parkinson's Disease Research Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC), Department of Neurology, McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center, Richmond, VA, USA | [d] Department of Psychology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA | [e] United States Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Levenworth, KS, USA | [x] Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center, 2020 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, USA. Tel.: +1 404 367 1240; Fax: +1 404 350 3081; E-mail: ron_seal@shepherd.org | [y] Virginia Commonwealth University, Box 980661, 1223 East Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0661, USA. E-mail: dcifu@hsc.vcu.edu
Correspondence:
[*]
Address for correspondence: William F. Carne, Ph.D., McGuire VAMC PADRECC, Department of Neurology (127), 1201 Broad Rock Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23249, USA. Tel.: +1 804 675 5391; Fax: +1 804 675 5683; E-mail: William.Carne@med.va.gov
Abstract: Mild to severe cognitive impairment and depression are common among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and play a significant role in disability. Effective treatment planning requires a holistic assessment of cognitive and emotional difficulties. A brief neuropsychological protocol was developed to examine the pattern of cognitive and emotional functioning of patients with idiopathic PD. Data was retrospectively analyzed for the first 61 male veterans who were evaluated at an interdisciplinary movement disorders clinic. The most frequently observed cognitive impairments were in the areas of auditory learning, delayed recall memory, and visual motor functioning that required alternating tracking and sequencing. Executive dysfunction was marked by the inability of 60% of the sample to complete the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, a measure of non-verbal reasoning with a cognitive flexibility component. Clinical interviews revealed that 28% of the sample met DSM-IV Criterion A for a Major Depressive Episode. The findings suggested that this brief neuropsychological protocol established cognitive and emotional profiles of patients with PD, consistent with other samples of patients with Parkinson's Disease. Clinical uses of the brief neuropsychological protocol are detailed. Selection of an alternative executive function measure with a lower “floor” that minimizes patient fatigue and frustration is recommended.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease, neuropsychological assessment, depression, neurobehavioral symptoms, clinical assessment
DOI: 10.3233/NRE-2005-20306
Journal: NeuroRehabilitation, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 191-203, 2005
Published: 8 October 2005
