[Screening for reading difficulties in Parkinson's disease: An evaluation of the Alouette test]

Abstract

Introduction: Reading disorders in Parkinson's disease (PD) are poorly evaluated due to the lack of validated tests to screen for them. They are often attributed to hand tremors associated with the disease. In this study, we evaluated the "alouette test" validated for dyslexia screening, in PD by comparing the results to healthy patients.

Methods: The "alouette test" was conducted on a fixed surface to avoid errors related to tremor. A fixation and tracking test were then performed. All the tests were filmed to be analyzed later by 2 examiners blinded to the neurological diagnosis.

Results: Thirty-eight patients were included, 19 with PD, and 19 healthy age-matched patients. PD patients read on average 250.9±13.7 words correctly vs. 260.3±2.7 words for healthy patients (P=0.008). This difference was greatest for the older patient subgroup (>65 years), who had the disease longer (P=0.014). Tracking and fixation tests were more impaired in PD patients compared to healthy patients.

Conclusion: This study highlighted many reading disorders in PD. The use of the "alouette test" which can easily be implemented in clinical practice, could help to diagnose these disorders. Better evaluation of these difficulties would allow for better medical care of these patients.

Keywords: Fixation; Lecture; Parkinson; Poursuite; Reading; Tracking; Tremblements; Tremor.