Journal Article

Working memory in medicated patients with Parkinson's disease: the central executive seems to work

Fournet, N, Moreaud, O, Naegele, B, Pellat, J, Roulin, J L

1996

Overview

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether a deficit of the central executive can explain the attentional deficits of patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS--Fifteen patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 15 controls were given a dual task paradigm minimising motor demands and combining verbal, visual, or spatial span with two conditions of articulatory suppression. RESULTS--Although the spans were systematically lower in medicated parkinsonian patients than in controls, suggesting a decrease of central processing resources, there was no direct evidence for a deficit of the central executive. CONCLUSIONS--A deficit of the central executive either is not an inevitable feature of the disease, or is dependent on the nature of task (visuomotor v cognitive), or is corrected by dopaminergic medication.

• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group Ltd,BMJ,BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subject: Aged / Attention - drug effects / Biological and medical sciences / Case-Control Studies / Degenerative and inherited degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Leukodystrophies. Prion diseases / Dopamine Agents - pharmacology / Female / Humans / Male / Medical sciences / Memory Disorders - etiology / Memory Disorders - physiopathology / Memory Disorders - psychology / Mental Processes - drug effects / Neurology / Neuropsychological Tests / Parkinson Disease - complications / Parkinson Disease - drug therapy / Parkinson Disease - physiopathology / Parkinson Disease - psychology / Psychomotor Performance - drug effects