Clinical correlates of anhedonia in patients with Parkinson's disease

To investigate the prevalence and clinical correlates of anhedonia in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to also examine the relationship between anhedonia and the QOL.

One hundred and seventeen patients with PD completed the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Beck Depression Inventory Second Edition (BDI-II), Starkstein's Apathy Scale (AS) and a quality of life (QOL) battery. Hoehn and Yahr (HY) staging, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were administered on the same day.

Anhedonia (SHAPS score≥3) was diagnosed in 15% of the patients. The SHAPS score was found to be significantly correlated with the HY stage and the UPDRS (I, IVB, IVC, total), BDI-II, AS and STAI (State, Trait) scores. A multivariate analysis revealed that the BDI-II and STAI (Trait) scores significantly influenced the SHAPS scores. The SHAPS scores were found to be negatively correlated with the QOL.

These findings indicate that anhedonia is associated with depression and anxiety. In addition, recognizing anhedonia in patients with PD is important since it may have a negative effect on the QOL.