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. 2017:2017:8582740.
doi: 10.1155/2017/8582740. Epub 2017 Jul 27.

Dual-Task Performance in GBA Parkinson's Disease

Karin Srulijes  1   2   3 , Kathrin Brockmann  1   2 , Senait Ogbamicael  1   2 , Markus A Hobert  1   2   4 , Ann-Kathrin Hauser  1   2 , Claudia Schulte  1   2 , Jasmin Fritzen  1   2 , Michael Schwenk  3   5 , Thomas Gasser  1   2 , Daniela Berg  1   2   4 , Walter Maetzler  1   2   4
Affiliations

Dual-Task Performance in GBA Parkinson's Disease

Karin Srulijes et al. Parkinsons Dis. 2017.

Abstract

Introduction: Parkinson's disease patients carrying a heterozygous mutation in the gene glucocerebrosidase (GBA-PD) show faster motor and cognitive decline than idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD) patients, but the mechanisms behind this observation are not well understood. Successful dual tasking (DT) requires a smooth integration of motor and nonmotor operations. This study compared the DT performances between GBA-PD and iPD patients.

Methods: Eleven GBA-PD patients (p.N370S, p.L444P) and eleven matched iPD patients were included. Clinical characterization included a motor score (Unified PD Rating Scale-III, UPDRS-III) and nonmotor scores (Montreal Cognitive Assessment, MoCA, and Beck's Depression Inventory). Quantitative gait analysis during the single-task (ST) and DT assessments was performed using a wearable sensor unit. These parameters corrected for UPDRS and MoCA were then compared between the groups.

Results: Under the DT condition "walking while checking boxes," GBA-PD patients showed slower gait and box-checking speeds than iPD patients. GBA-PD and iPD patients did not show significant differences regarding dual-task costs.

Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that DT performance with a secondary motor task is worse in GBA-PD than in iPD patients. This finding may be associated with the known enhanced motor and cognitive deficits in GBA-PD compared to iPD and should motivate further studies.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Dual-task performance “walking while checking boxes (X) or while subtracting serial 7s (7s).” (b) Dual-task performance “checking boxes (X) or subtracting serial 7s (7s) while walking.” A logistic regression analysis, with the motor part of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment as covariables, including likelihood ratio was used to calculate p values. Significance level was set at p < 0.05. GBA-PD = Parkinson's disease patients carrying a heterozygous glucocerebrosidase mutation; iPD = idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
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