Cognitive predictors of dementia in Parkinson's disease: a community-based, 4-year longitudinal study

• Although mild cognitive impairment and dementia are common and have important clinical consequences for patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their caregivers, it is still unclear whether cognitive symptoms may predict the development of dementia in PD patients. The objective of this study was to determine whether cognitive deficits in nondemented PD patients predicted the development of dementia 4 years later. A total of 76 nondemented PD patients from an epidemiological study of PD in the county of Rogaland, Norway, were assessed at baseline and 4 years later with neurological, psychiatric, and neuropsychological evaluations. Twenty-five (42%) new cases of dementia were diagnosed after 4 years. Time to complete the third card of the Stroop test was the only variable that was independently associated with dementia. The authors concluded that poor performance on a test sensitive to executive dysfunction predicted later development of dementia in PD patients. This finding may have important clinical implications as a marker of subsequent development of dementia.

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