The Linguistic–Cognitive Profile in an Adult Population with Parkinson’s Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Introduction. Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) exhibit general impairments, particularly non-motor symptoms that are related to language, communication, and cognition processes. People with this disease may undergo a surgical intervention for the placement of a deep brain stimulation device, which improves their motor symptoms. However, this type of intervention leads to a decline in their linguistic and cognitive abilities that becomes increasingly noticeable as the disease progresses. Objective. The objective of this research was to compare the performance and linguistic–cognitive profile of individuals with Parkinson’s disease who underwent deep brain stimulation treatment based on the stage of the disease. Method. A total of 60 participants who were diagnosed with PD by their reference hospital were selected. These participants were divided into three groups based on the stage of the disease that they were in, forming three groups: a Stage I group (n = 20), a Stage II group (n = 20), and a Stage III group (n = 20). The linguistic–cognitive profile was assessed using the MoCA, ACE-III, and MetAphas tests. The design of this study was established as a quasi-experimental, cross-sectional investigation, and statistical analysis was performed using MANOVA to compare the scores between the study groups. Results. The results indicate that individuals in Stage I exhibit better linguistic and cognitive performance compared to the other groups of participants in Stage II and Stage III, with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05). Conclusion. In conclusion, the progression of PD leads to significant linguistic and cognitive decline in individuals with this disease who have a deep brain stimulation device, greatly limiting the autonomy and quality of life for people with PD.