Neuropsychological abnormalities in early-stage Parkinson’s disease

Comparative assessment of affective and cognitive abnormalitiesin different clinical forms of early-stage Parkinsons disease(PD) was performed. In the majority of patients, cognitivedecline of predominantly executive and neurodynamic type notreaching the dementia level was registered. The revealed cognitivedisturbances prevailed in patients with an akinetic-rigidform of PD, while a trembling form turned out more benignfrom the viewpoint of its influence on the intellectual sphere.High prevalence of depression on early-stage PD was shown:depressive symptoms of various severities were observed in 84%examined patients. By analogy with cognitive decline, depressionand anxiety at the debut of PD were significantly more frequentin patients with an akinetic-rigid form compared to atrembling phenotype. These data confirm that affective disturbancesare very characteristic early (including premotor) manifestationsof PD.