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The influence of cognitive reserve on cognition in Parkinson’s disease

Journal of Neural Transmission volume 120, pages 593–596 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

There are considerable differences in cognition between individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) which might be explained by the theory of cognitive reserve. This theory states that premorbid factors, such as high intellectual capacities, provide a buffer against cognitive impairments. This study determines whether cognitive reserve influences cognition in PD. Forty-eight PD patients were included. All were assessed with two proxies of cognitive reserve, tests of cognition and both measures of disease characteristic and symptoms of depression. After accounting for age, gender, disease characteristics and depression, cognitive reserve was an independent predictor of cognitive performance. In conclusion, cognitive reserve influences cognition in PD, i.e. PD patients with a high premorbid intellectual ability show fewer cognitive impairments than patients with a low premorbid ability. This indicates that cognitive reserve needs to be taken into account when monitoring the evolution of cognition in PD, however, verification of results on a larger patient sample would be desirable.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, Faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Grote Kruisstraat 2/1, 9712 TS, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Janneke Koerts, Lara Tucha & Oliver Tucha

  2. Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Janneke Koerts

  3. Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Klaus W. Lange

Authors
  1. Janneke Koerts
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  2. Lara Tucha
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  3. Klaus W. Lange
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  4. Oliver Tucha
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Correspondence to Janneke Koerts.

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Koerts, J., Tucha, L., Lange, K.W. et al. The influence of cognitive reserve on cognition in Parkinson’s disease. J Neural Transm 120, 593–596 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-012-0916-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-012-0916-6

Keywords

  • Cognitive reserve
  • Executive functions
  • Memory
  • Psychomotor speed
  • Depression