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Cognitive impairments in patients with the Parkinsons disease
Barbara Starovasnik & Alenka Sever
Full text (pdf) | Views: 16 | Written in Slovene. | Published: August 31, 2004
Abstract: As the motor disturbances are the most well known, easily observed and the only ones used in the diagnosis of the Parkinsons disease (PD), the non-motor features of the PD are often overlooked even though the cognitive impairments in the area of direction and sustenance of attention, working memory and other executive functions present a most disabling effect on the ability to cope with everyday life tasks. There is no reason to assume that the degeneration in PD and its effect are limited to motor loop only, but could affect the rest of the cortico-subcortico-cortical loops as well, resulting in specific cognitive dysfunctions related to individual "cognitive" loops. Specifically the impairment of dorsolateral loop should lead to dysfunction of working memory and other executive abilities, the impairment of orbitofrontal loop typically results in lack of social control, obsessive and compulsive behavior, emotional instability and impulsiveness, while anterior cingulate loop is related to dysfunctions of attention and consequent decreased motivation and lack of interest.
Keywords: cognitive processes, Parkinsons disease, dopamyn, working memory, attention
