Analysis of the working memory of patients with Parkinson disease

doi:10.3321/j.issn:1673-8225.2004.31.017

Abstract：BACKGROUND:The working memory dysfunction is one of the most common cognitive deficit in patients with Parkinson disease,but different results may gain by different neuropsychological assessments.OBJECTIVE: To compare the sensitivity of different neuropsychological assessment in judging the working memory deficit in patients with Parkinson disease.DESIGN: Diagnosis-based non-randomized control trial.SETTING and PARTICIPANTS: Thirty patients with clinical definite Parkinson disease were enrolled in the experiment. Those with secondary Parkinson disease and Parkinson syndrome were excluded. Thirty healthy aged peoples were selected into normal control group who were matched in age and never complaints,such as headache and dizzy, without positive neurological sign, as well as serious cardiac, lung and kidney disease.METHODS: Participants of two groups subjected to be tested by MMSE and Zung chart,Benton visual retain test and modified Smith working memory software analysis.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Benton visual retain ability; ② Correct rate of spatial working memory; ③ Correct rate of subject working memory.RESULTS: Both groups were matched in age, education, intelligence and so on. The results of Benton visual retain test were(21.00±4.81) and (22.96 ±4. 84) in PD group and control group respectively, the difference was unobvious ( t = 0. 003 4, P> 0.05). The correct rate of spatial working memory(76. 95 ± 14.4)% was significantly lower than that in normal controls(91.00±6.77)％(t=3.806, P<0.01); there was no statistical difference in visual object shape working memory impairment between PD group (67.06 ±7.95)%and healthy controls(72.70 ± 8.12)%( t =0.008 1, P>0.05).CONCLUSION: The result of present study proves that visual spatial working memory deficit in patients with PD is not emerged from Benton visual retain test, bud can be detected by using modified Smith working memory software, indicating modified Smith working memory software analysis is more sensitive than Benton visual retain test.