Neuropsychological Tests of Memory, Visuospatial, and Language Function in Parkinson's Disease: Review, Critique, and Recommendations

Ondrej Bezdicek¹, Roberta Biundo^{2

3}, Sarai Boelema⁴, Davide Maria Cammisuli⁵, Brenna Cholerton⁶, Alice Cronin-Golomb⁷, John C Dalrymple-Alford^{8

9

10}, Annelien Duits¹¹, Robert Fellows¹², Adam Gerstenecker¹³, Hanane El Hachioui⁴, Hana Horáková¹⁴, Janneke Koerts¹⁵, Bonnie Levin¹⁶, Inga Liepelt-Scarfone^{17

18

19}, Marina Sarno¹⁶, Tiago A Mestre²⁰, Álvaro Sánchez Ferro^{21

22}, Michelle Hyczy de Siqueira Tosin²³, Matej Skorvanek^{24

25}, Daniel Weintraub²⁶, Gert J Geurtsen^{4

27}; members of the IPMDS Clinical Outcome Assessment Scientific Evaluation Committee

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology and Centre of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
² Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
³ Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit, Study Center for Neurodegeneration (CESNE), Center for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND), Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
⁴ Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁸ Te Kura Mahi ā-Hirikapo, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
⁹ New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.
¹⁰ Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
¹¹ Department of Medical Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre and Radboud University Centre Nijmegen and the Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
¹² Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
¹³ Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropsychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
¹⁴ Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
¹⁵ Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
¹⁶ Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
¹⁷ Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
¹⁸ German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany.
¹⁹ IB-Hochschule, Stuttgart, Germany.
²⁰ Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
²¹ Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
²² Centro de Investigacion Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
²³ Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
²⁴ Department of Neurology, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia.
²⁵ Department of Neurology, University Hospital of L. Pasteur, Kosice, Slovakia.
²⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC), Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
²⁷ Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

PMID: 40145638
PMCID: PMC12089905
DOI: 10.1002/mds.30166

Neuropsychological Tests of Memory, Visuospatial, and Language Function in Parkinson's Disease: Review, Critique, and Recommendations

Ondrej Bezdicek et al. Mov Disord. 2025 May.

. 2025 May;40(5):795-806.

doi: 10.1002/mds.30166. Epub 2025 Mar 27.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology and Centre of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine and General University Hospital in Prague, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
² Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
³ Parkinson and Movement Disorders Unit, Study Center for Neurodegeneration (CESNE), Center for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND), Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
⁴ Amsterdam University Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Medical Psychology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
⁶ Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
⁷ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
⁸ Te Kura Mahi ā-Hirikapo, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
⁹ New Zealand Brain Research Institute, Christchurch, New Zealand.
¹⁰ Department of Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
¹¹ Department of Medical Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre and Radboud University Centre Nijmegen and the Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
¹² Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
¹³ Department of Neurology, Division of Neuropsychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
¹⁴ Memory Clinic, Department of Neurology, Second Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
¹⁵ Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
¹⁶ Division of Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA.
¹⁷ Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, Department of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
¹⁸ German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Tübingen, Germany.
¹⁹ IB-Hochschule, Stuttgart, Germany.
²⁰ Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Institute, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
²¹ Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Department, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
²² Centro de Investigacion Biomédica en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED), Madrid, Spain.
²³ Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
²⁴ Department of Neurology, Safarik University, Kosice, Slovakia.
²⁵ Department of Neurology, University Hospital of L. Pasteur, Kosice, Slovakia.
²⁶ Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC), Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
²⁷ Amsterdam Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

PMID: 40145638
PMCID: PMC12089905
DOI: 10.1002/mds.30166

Abstract

Background: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a key non-motor complication during the disease course.

Objectives: A review of detailed cognitive instruments to detect mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) or dementia (PDD) is needed to establish optimal tests that facilitate diagnostic accuracy.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of tests that assess memory, language including premorbid intelligence, and visuospatial domains (for tests of attention and executive functions see accompanying review) to determine suitability to assess cognition in PD. Based on in-depth scrutiny of psychometric and other relevant clinimetric properties, tests were rated as "recommended," "recommended with caveats," "suggested," or "listed" by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (IPMDS) panel of experts according to the IPMDS Clinical Outcome Assessment Scientific Evaluation Committee guidelines.

Results: We included 39 tests encompassing 48 outcome measures. Seven tests (different versions or subtests of the test counted once) were recommended, including four for memory, one for visuospatial domains, one for language (including three measures), and one for estimated premorbid intelligence. Furthermore, 10 tests (12 measures) were "recommended with caveats," 11 were "suggested," and 11 (15 measures) were "listed."

Conclusions: Recommended neuropsychological tests in memory, visuospatial functions, and language are proposed to guide the assessment of cognitive impairment and its progression in PD-MCI and PDD, and for use in clinical trials to stratify participants or as outcome measures. Novel measures being developed will need extensive validation research to be "recommended." © 2025 The Author(s). Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; clinimetric; cognitive; dementia; neuropsychology; rating scales; test.

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References

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Neuropsychological Tests of Memory, Visuospatial, and Language Function in Parkinson's Disease: Review, Critique, and Recommendations

Affiliations

Neuropsychological Tests of Memory, Visuospatial, and Language Function in Parkinson's Disease: Review, Critique, and Recommendations

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

References

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical