Visual short-term memory deficits associated with GBA mutation and Parkinson's disease
Nahid Zokaei1, Alisdair McNeill2, Christos Proukakis2
11 Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK2 Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UD, UK nahid.zokaei@psy.ox.ac.uk.
Brain : a Journal of Neurology
|June 13, 2014
Summary
Individuals with glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene mutations show visual short-term memory deficits, specifically misbinding errors. Parkinson
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene are a significant risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD) with cognitive deficits.
- Visual short-term memory impairments are commonly observed in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate visual short-term memory precision in individuals with GBA gene mutations, with and without Parkinson's disease.
- To differentiate cognitive deficits associated with GBA mutations from those associated with Parkinson's disease itself.
Main Methods:
- Visual working memory precision was assessed using a serial order task involving sequential presentation of colored bars.
- An attentional filtering condition and a sensorimotor task were employed to control for specific cognitive and motor factors.
- Error sources were analyzed to distinguish between misbinding errors and random response errors.
Main Results:
- GBA-positive individuals (with or without PD) and GBA-negative PD patients exhibited impaired memory precision compared to controls.
- GBA-positive individuals showed increased misbinding errors, while PD patients displayed more random response errors.
- GBA-positive PD patients demonstrated the worst performance, exhibiting both types of errors.
Conclusions:
- Distinct patterns of visual short-term memory deficits are associated with GBA mutations and Parkinson's disease.
- GBA mutations are linked to misbinding errors, whereas Parkinson's disease is associated with random response errors.
- Identifying these specific cognitive signatures may aid in predicting Parkinson's disease risk in GBA mutation carriers.
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