Exploring behavioural symptoms and inhibitory control in Parkinson's disease: Comparison between dementia and...

Parkinson's disease (PD) is now being recognized as a complex illness with numerous behavioral symptoms in addition to the well-recognized motor symptoms such as tremors, rigidity, postural instability, and bradykinesia. Inhibitory control is one of the hallmark executive processes impaired in PD. Such deficits may severely affect the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. They may also result in impulsivity or lack of flexibility, arising as risk factors for developing impulse control disorders, which encompasses a wide range of behaviors such as compulsive gambling, buying, sexual behavior, and eating and related disorders.

The present study aims at understanding the behavioral symptoms in connection with inhibitory control in Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD) and PD without dementia.

For the current study, 12 individuals with cognitively unimpaired PD and 10 individuals with PDD were selected. Montreal Cognitive Assessment was used to screen cognitive impairment, and the Go-No-Go test assessed inhibitory control. A behavioral profile in connection with the inhibitory control was obtained for both groups. Further descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used to understand any significant difference between the groups concerning inhibitory control.

The present study findings showed a significant difference in both groups regarding inhibitory control (P < 0.001). Apathy was the highly prevalent behavioral symptom in both groups, followed by agitation in cognitively unimpaired PD and irritability in those with PDD. In addition, increased sweet food preference, disinhibition, and stubbornness were also present in both groups.

Thus, this study will help understand the behavioral profile of patients with PD and PDD concerning inhibitory control. Thus, early detection of behavioral changes in PD can aid in timely prevention of future cognitive decline.