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Prospective memory in Parkinson's disease: the role of the motor subtypes
Alfonsina D'Iorio1, Gianpaolo Maggi1, Carmine Vitale2,3
1Department of Psychology, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy.
Background:
Prospective memory (PM) is defined as memory for future intentions and it is typically divided into time-based and event-based PM. Deficit of PM has been reported in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) but no study has yet explored the association between motor subtypes (tremor dominant and rigidity/bradykinesia dominant) and performance on PM tasks. The aim of the study was to explore the role of motor subtypes in the defect of PM.
Methods:
Consecutive outpatients with tremor dominant (TD-PD) or rigidity/bradykinesia dominant (PIGD-PD) PD and healthy subjects (HCs) were enrolled and underwent a neuropsychological battery assessing PM, verbal memory and executive functions and questionnaires assessing apathy, functional autonomy, and perceived memory disturbances.
Results:
We enrolled 28 patients with TD-PD, 28 patients with PIGD-PD and 50 HCs. The three groups did not differ on demographic and cognitive variables. Patients with TD-PD performed worse on time-based PM tasks than patients with PIGD-PD and HCs; no significant difference was found among the three groups on event-based PM tasks. Executive dysfunctions contributed to reduced time-based PM scores in TD-PD. Moreover, severe deficit of time-based and more frequency of perceived failures of PM contributed to reduced functional autonomy in TD-PD.
Conclusion:
The finding of a poorer performance of patients with TD-PD than ones with PIGD-PD and HCs suggests a selective deficit of time-based PM abilities in TD-PD group; therefore, deficit of time-based PM might be considered as a distinctive non-motor symptom of TD-PD and it might affect the functional autonomy in this subtype of PD.
Insights
Patients with tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease (TD-PD) show deficits in time-based prospective memory (PM), unlike those with other PD subtypes. This impairment in time-based PM may impact functional autonomy in TD-PD patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Prospective memory (PM) involves remembering future intentions, with time-based and event-based types.
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with PM deficits.
- The impact of PD motor subtypes on PM performance is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of motor subtypes in prospective memory deficits in Parkinson's disease.
- To compare time-based and event-based PM performance between tremor-dominant PD (TD-PD), rigidity/bradykinesia-dominant PD (PIGD-PD), and healthy controls (HCs).
Main Methods:
- Neuropsychological assessment of PM, verbal memory, and executive functions.
- Questionnaires on apathy, functional autonomy, and perceived memory disturbances.
- Comparison of TD-PD, PIGD-PD, and HC groups.
Main Results:
- TD-PD patients exhibited poorer performance on time-based PM tasks compared to PIGD-PD patients and HCs.
- No significant differences were observed in event-based PM tasks across the groups.
- Executive dysfunction was linked to reduced time-based PM scores in TD-PD, impacting functional autonomy.
Conclusions:
- TD-PD is associated with a selective deficit in time-based prospective memory.
- This time-based PM deficit may serve as a non-motor symptom distinguishing TD-PD.
- Impaired time-based PM abilities can negatively affect functional autonomy in individuals with TD-PD.