Title:
Cognitive functioning in Parkinson's Disease: relation with motor symptom subtype and location
Author:
Stephen L. Aita
Thesis Advisor:
Christopher L. Higgingson
Committee Member:
Matthew W. Kirkhart
Committee Member:
Amanda M. Thomas
Committee Member:
Elizabeth Disbrow
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2015
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
born digital
Abstract:
Research on the relation between motor symptoms and cognitive functioning in Parkinson's disease (PD) has gained much attention. Past studies have identified several subgroups that PD patients may fall into according to their predominant motor symptoms. These include Tremor Dominant (TD), Postural Instability/Gait Difficulty (PIGD), and Akinetic Rigid (AR). Past research has suggested that non-tremor PD is often accompanied by insults to general cognition. However, little is known about the cognitive consequences of having predominantly lower extremity (LE) or upper extremity (UE) motor symptomology. The present study examined the neurocognitive differences between PD motor subgroups and additionally assessed weather having predominant upper vs. lower extremity motor symptoms is linked to cognitive impairment in a sample of individuals with PD undergoing pre-surgical neuropsychological evaluations. Data analysis revealed that the PIGD group performed worse on a global measure of cognitive function than those in the other two groups; however, there were no significant group differences for any specific cognitive domains studied. Furthermore, there were no statistically significant differences between the extremity groups in terms of cognitive functioning.
Degree:
Master of Science
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Clinical Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online.
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Identifier:
AitaSL-15
