Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with reduced spatial and verbal working memory ability. There are two established motor subtypes of PD, tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD). This study used structural equation modelling t...

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Main Authors: Johnson, A., Bucks, R., Kane, R., Thomas, M., Gasson, N., Loftus, Andrea
Format: Journal Article
Published: Public Library of Science 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29161
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author Johnson, A.
Bucks, R.
Kane, R.
Thomas, M.
Gasson, N.
Loftus, Andrea
author_facet Johnson, A.
Bucks, R.
Kane, R.
Thomas, M.
Gasson, N.
Loftus, Andrea
author_sort Johnson, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with reduced spatial and verbal working memory ability. There are two established motor subtypes of PD, tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD). This study used structural equation modelling to explore the longitudinal relationship between the two subtypes and working memory assessed at a 2-year follow-up. The study comprised 84 males and 30 females (N = 114), aged between 39 and 85 (M = 64.82, SD = 9.23) with confirmed PD. There was no significant relationship between motor subtype at Time 1 and working memory at Time 2. Postural symptom severity at Time 1 predicted Time 2 spatial working memory for the PIGD subtype (p = .011) but not the TD subtype. Tremor symptoms were not associated with Time 2 working memory in either subtype. Predictive significance of Time 1 postural symptoms only in the PIGD subtype suggests an interaction between symptom dominance (subtype) and symptom severity that future subtyping should consider. This study demonstrates a predictive relationship between postural difficulties and working memory performance assessed at a 2-year follow-up. Establishing physical symptoms as predictors of cognitive change could have significant clinical importance.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-291612017-09-13T15:22:40Z Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Johnson, A. Bucks, R. Kane, R. Thomas, M. Gasson, N. Loftus, Andrea Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with reduced spatial and verbal working memory ability. There are two established motor subtypes of PD, tremor dominant (TD) and postural instability and gait difficulty (PIGD). This study used structural equation modelling to explore the longitudinal relationship between the two subtypes and working memory assessed at a 2-year follow-up. The study comprised 84 males and 30 females (N = 114), aged between 39 and 85 (M = 64.82, SD = 9.23) with confirmed PD. There was no significant relationship between motor subtype at Time 1 and working memory at Time 2. Postural symptom severity at Time 1 predicted Time 2 spatial working memory for the PIGD subtype (p = .011) but not the TD subtype. Tremor symptoms were not associated with Time 2 working memory in either subtype. Predictive significance of Time 1 postural symptoms only in the PIGD subtype suggests an interaction between symptom dominance (subtype) and symptom severity that future subtyping should consider. This study demonstrates a predictive relationship between postural difficulties and working memory performance assessed at a 2-year follow-up. Establishing physical symptoms as predictors of cognitive change could have significant clinical importance. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29161 10.1371/journal.pone.0152534 Public Library of Science fulltext
spellingShingle Johnson, A.
Bucks, R.
Kane, R.
Thomas, M.
Gasson, N.
Loftus, Andrea
Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
title Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
title_full Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
title_fullStr Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
title_full_unstemmed Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
title_short Motor Subtype as a Predictor of Future Working Memory Performance in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease
title_sort motor subtype as a predictor of future working memory performance in idiopathic parkinson's disease
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29161