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Parkinsonian signs and cognitive function in old age

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 August 2005

DEBRA A. FLEISCHMAN ,
ROBERT S. WILSON ,
JULIA L. BIENIAS  and
DAVID A. BENNETT
DEBRA A. FLEISCHMAN
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
ROBERT S. WILSON
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Psychology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
JULIA L. BIENIAS
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Rush Institute for Healthy Aging and Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
DAVID A. BENNETT
Affiliation:
Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
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Abstract

Studies have shown that parkinsonian signs are related to cognitive function in aging. What remains unclear is whether this association is stronger for some cognitive domains than it is for others, and precisely how much variability in global and specific cognitive functions is explained by the motor signs. We examined the associations between four parkinsonian signs (gait, rigidity, bradykinesia, tremor) and five cognitive domains (episodic memory, semantic memory, working memory, perceptual speed, visuospatial ability) in a large cohort of older persons who were free of Parkinson's disease and dementia and were participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project. In a series of regression equations that controlled for age, sex, and education, higher levels of three signs (gait, rigidity, and bradykinesia) were related to lower levels of cognitive function, but they accounted for less than 5% of the variance in most measures. The results did not change when the presence of depressive symptoms, diabetes, and hypertension were added to the models. The cross-sectional association between parkinsonian signs and cognitive function did not vary substantially across specific cognitive domains or specific cognitive tests. The results suggest that parkinsonian signs have a modest, but statistically reliable, association with level of cognitive function in old age. (JINS, 2005, 11, 591–597.)

Keywords

ParkinsonismParkinsonian signsAgingCognitionMemory and Aging Project
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 11 , Issue 5 , September 2005 , pp. 591 - 597
Copyright
© 2005 The International Neuropsychological Society

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