31 January 2012
Hong
JY, Lee JE, Sohn YH, Lee PH
Ample evidence has suggested that individuals with subjective memory
complaints are at a higher risk for cognitive decline. Nevertheless, the
significance of subjective memory complaints in Parkinson's disease has
not been studied until now.
We investigated whether the patterns of
cognitive profiles and gray matter density differed in cognitively
normal patients with Parkinson's disease based on the presence of
subjective memory complaints. Using a single question with a yes or no
answer, cognitively normal patients with Parkinson's disease were
classified as with (n = 20) or without subjective memory complaints
(n = 15). Cognitive profiles and gray matter density were examined using
standardized neuropsychological tests and voxel-based morphometry.
No
significant differences in demographic characteristics were observed
between groups. The detailed neuropsychological tests demonstrated that
Parkinson's disease patients with subjective memory complaints had
significantly decreased verbal fluency and slightly lower scores on the
backward digit-span test compared with those without subjective memory
complaints. A voxel-based morphometry analysis revealed that Parkinson's
disease patients with subjective memory complaints had significantly
decreased gray matter density in the anterior cingulate gyrus and right
inferior parietal lobule compared with those without subjective memory
complaints.
Our data demonstrated that Parkinson's disease patients with
subjective memory complaints showed a poorer performance on tasks
related to verbal fluency and attention with more severe cortical
atrophy compared to those without subjective memory complaints,
suggesting that subjective memory complaints in patients with
Parkinson's disease may represent an early manifestation of underlying
Parkinson's disease-related pathological changes.
