HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS REGISTER		Author Keyword(s) Vol Page [Advanced]

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jnnp.2006.093146v1 77/10/1136    most recent Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this link to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Add article to my folders Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Bronnick, K Articles by Aarsland, D Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Bronnick, K Articles by Aarsland, D

Attentional deficits affect activities of daily living in dementia-associated with Parkinson’s disease

¹ Psychiatric Clinic, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway
² Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
³ Department of Neurology, General Hospital Middelheim, Antwerpen, Belgium
⁴ Cognitive Drug Research Ltd, Oxon, UK
⁵ Novartis Pharmaceuticals, East Hanover, New Jersey, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
K Brønnick
Psychiatric Clinic, Stavanger University Hospital, Helse Stavanger, Post Box 8100, 4068 Stavanger, Norway;bronnick{at}gmail.com

Objective: To investigate the effects of attentional deficits on activities of daily living (ADL) in patients with dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease (PDD).

Method: 461 patients were assessed neuropsychologically. Factor analyses were used to differentiate attention from other cognitive functions and to differentiate different aspects of ADL functions. The effects of the attentional measure on ADL were examined using sequential multiple regression, controlling for age, sex, education, severity of motor symptoms and other cognitive functions.

Results: Three cognitive factors were identified, with one factor emerging as a measure of vigilance and focused attention. This factor predicted different aspects of ADL status even after controlling for motor functions and other cognitive factors. The attention factor was the single strongest cognitive predictor of ADL status, matching the strength of the effects of motor functions on ADL status.

Conclusion: Impaired attention is an important determinant of ADL functions in patients with PDD.

Abbreviations: ADAS-cog, Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale—cognitive; ADCS-ADL, Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study—Activities of Daily Living; ADL, activities of daily living; CDR, Cognitive Drug Research; DLB, dementia with Lewy bodies; MMSE, Mini-Mental State Examination; PCA, principal component analysis; PDD, dementia associated with Parkinson’s disease; UPDRS, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. Muslimovic, B. Post, J. D. Speelman, B. Schmand, R. J. de Haan, and For the CARPA Study Group Determinants of disability and quality of life in mild to moderate Parkinson disease Neurology, June 3, 2008; 70(23): 2241 - 2247. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]