Parkinson's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Parkinson's Disease, including details on symptoms, treatment, genetics, medication.

Visuo-spatial processing in Parkinson's disease: evidence for diminished visuo-spatial sketch pad and central executive resources.

Kemps E, Szmalec A, Vandierendonck A, Crevits L

School of Psychology, Flinders University, G.P.O. Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. Eva.Kemps@flinders.edu.au

A dual-task study compared the visuo-spatial sketch pad and central executive components of working memory as potential cognitive mechanisms of visuo-spatial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. Mildly to moderately affected Parkinsonian patients (n = 15) and controls (n = 15) performed the Corsi blocks task concurrently with tasks designed to load on the visuo-spatial sketch pad (spatial tapping) or the central executive (random interval repetition). Patients performed more poorly in both concurrent task conditions, implicating a reduction in both visuo-spatial sketch pad and central executive resources. The impact of the concurrent tasks varied with disease severity, with the central executive deficit prominent at disease onset, but the visuo-spatial sketch pad deficit becoming apparent only in the moderate stages of the illness.

Published 12 April 2005 in Parkinsonism Relat Disord, 11(3): 181-6.
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