Cognitive complaint in early Parkinson's disease: A pilot study

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Neuropsychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Subjective cognitive complaint (SCC) is crucial for diagnosing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) per Movement Disorder Society (MDS) guidelines.
• Limited tools exist for assessing SCC specifically in Parkinson's disease (PD).
• This study aimed to develop and evaluate a novel tool for SCC detection in PD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an easy-to-use visual analogue scale (VAS) for assessing subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) in Parkinson's disease (PD).
• To evaluate the comprehensibility, reproducibility, and validity of the VAS tool in PD patients.

Main Methods:

• An expert panel developed a VAS tool covering memory, executive functions, spatial orientation, attention, and language.
• The VAS was administered twice, one month apart, to 70 PD patients with <5 years disease duration and to controls.
• Patients with PD also underwent standard neuropsychological testing.

Main Results:

• The VAS tool was easily understood by PD patients.
• Significant SCC were found in PD patients compared to controls in executive functions, language, and attention.
• The tool demonstrated good reproducibility, but SCC did not correlate with neuropsychological test results.

Conclusions:

• Subjective cognitive complaints (SCC) emerge early in Parkinson's disease (PD), affecting executive functions, language, and attention.
• The visual analogue scale (VAS) shows potential for detecting early SCC in PD.
• Further validation of the VAS tool is recommended.