Cognitive workload during verbal abstract reasoning in Parkinson's disease: a pilot study
Sanghee Moon1, Melike Kahya1, Kelly E Lyons2
1Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, School of Health Professions, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
The International Journal of Neuroscience
|March 24, 2020
Summary
Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) show increased cognitive workload during abstract reasoning tasks, as measured by pupillary response, even without behavioral deficits. This suggests pupillary response may detect early executive function changes in PD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neurology
Background:
- Pupillary response is a known indicator of cognitive workload in tasks like processing speed and working memory.
- Higher-order cognitive functions, such as abstract reasoning, may also be affected in Parkinson's disease (PD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare pupillary response as a measure of cognitive workload during a verbal abstract reasoning test between PD patients and healthy controls.
Main Methods:
- Nineteen non-demented PD patients and 10 healthy controls performed the Similarities test (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV).
- A remote eye tracker recorded pupillary response (Index of Cognitive Activity - ICA) and behavioral performance.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in behavioral performance on the Similarities test between PD patients and controls.
- PD patients exhibited significantly greater cognitive workload (higher ICA) during the abstract reasoning task compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Non-demented individuals with PD experience increased cognitive workload for verbal abstract reasoning, despite comparable behavioral outcomes.
- Pupillary response shows potential as a clinical tool for detecting and monitoring early impairments in higher-order executive functions in PD.
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