Trends and issues in characterizing early cognitive changes in Parkinson's disease
Daniel O Claassen1, Scott A Wylie
1Department of Neurology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161 21st Avenue South, A-0118 Medical Center North, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. daniel.claassen@vanderbilt.edu
Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports
|September 6, 2012
Summary
This review explores cognitive changes in Parkinson's disease (PD), focusing on improving the diagnosis of PD Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) using neurocognitive measures. Novel insights into action control and decision-making reveal early PD-related cognitive vulnerabilities.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with cognitive decline.
- Current diagnostic criteria for PD Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) have limitations.
- Early detection of cognitive changes is crucial for PD management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review trends and challenges in measuring cognitive changes in PD.
- To evaluate the utility of neurocognitive science measures for precise early detection.
- To highlight key cognitive domains vulnerable in early PD.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of current research on PD cognitive impairment.
- Analysis of diagnostic classifications, including PD-MCI.
- Discussion of neurocognitive measures and their application.
- Highlighting research on action control and reward learning/decision-making.
Main Results:
- Existing methods for diagnosing PD-MCI face limitations.
- Neurocognitive measures offer enhanced precision in detecting early cognitive deficits in PD.
- Action control and reward learning/decision-making are identified as critical early cognitive processes affected in PD.
Conclusions:
- Neurocognitive approaches show promise for more accurate early detection of cognitive changes in PD.
- Further research is needed to address unresolved questions in PD cognitive assessment.
- Understanding specific cognitive vulnerabilities like action control is vital for clinical practice.
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