Global assessment, cognitive profile, and characteristics of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundCognitive deficits are evident throughout the course of Parkinson's disease (PD), with 24% of patients experiencing subtle cognitive disturbances at the time of diagnosis, and with up to 80% of patients developing PD dementia (PDD) at advanced stages of the disease PD patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an at‐risk phenotype of PDD, present with heterogeneous clinical characteristics that complicate the management of PD.ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the characteristics of PD‐MCI by using the Movement Disorder Society (MDS) diagnostic criteria and evaluate the validity of global cognitive scales in identifying PD‐MCI.MethodsSeventy‐nine (79) PD patients completed neuropsychological assessments and a comprehensive cognitive battery. PD‐MCI was classified according to the level 2 MDS task force criteria. Mini‐Mental State Examination (sMMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Rating Scale (PDCRS) were examined against a level 2 dichotomised PD‐MCI diagnosis. Characteristics of PD‐MCI were evaluated using logistic regression analysis.ResultsTwenty‐seven patients met criteria for PD‐MCI (34%). The MoCA and PDCRS demonstrated high validity to screen for PD‐MCI. Impairments in multiple cognitive domains were observed in 77.8% of PD‐MCI patients. There were significantly more males in the PD‐MCI group compared to PD patients without MCI (p < 0.01).ConclusionsPD patients with MCI exhibited impairments in the attention/working memory, executive function and memory domains. Heterogeneous cognitive characteristics in PD warrant further investigation into specific cognitive subtypes to advance understanding and effective evaluation of PD‐MCI.