The Everyday Cognition Scale in Parkinson's disease

This brief report describes caregiver ratings on the Everyday Cognition (ECog) scale, a psychometrically robust measure of cognitively driven daily activities that was initially designed for other neurodegenerative conditions, in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). In 49 individuals with PD, those with suspected PD dementia had more difficulties across ECog domains than those with normal cognition or mild cognitive impairment. Results from multiple regression analyses revealed that activities captured by the ECog were related to measured cognitive ability, over and above disease duration and demographic factors. The lack of floor and ceiling effects speaks to the potential utility of the instrument in practice and research regarding this population. Preliminary data support the utility of the ECog as a marker of functional impact of cognitive problems in PD, though further research will be required to validate the instrument in this population.