A-74: Neurocognitive and Clinical Correlates of Parkinson’s Disease and Parkinsonian Signs in a Pilot Aging Cohort

Abstract

Objective: To characterize neurocognitive, sleep, lifetime activity, and exploratory diet and alcohol differences associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD) or parkinsonian signs in an aging cohort. Method/Data Selection: Participants were 105 adults 65+ who underwent dementia research evaluation at Mount Sinai and received a consensus cognitive diagnosis of normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, or dementia. The PD/parkinsonian signs group was defined by abnormal neurologic findings in tone, gait, reflexes, motor function, or coordination, or by a PD diagnosis. Thirty-six were classified as having PD/parkinsonian signs and 69 did not. Group comparisons examined cognition, sleep, lifetime activity, and diet/alcohol variables. Cognitive domains included attention, visuospatial performance, memory, and language fluency. Sleep variables included insomnia, daytime somnolence, napping, snoring, sleep apnea, and REM sleep behavior disorder. Univariable logistic regression assessed diet, alcohol, smoking, and lifetime activity variables before and after age adjustment. Results/Data Synthesis: Compared with the no PD/parkinsonian signs group, participants with PD/parkinsonian signs were older (74.89±8.2 vs. 68.90±7.6 years, p<.01), more likely to report sleep issues (89% vs. 61%, p<.01), and performed more poorly on attention (SMD=-0.20, p=.045), visuospatial performance (SMD=-1.0, p=.008), and memory (SMD=-1.9, p=.022). Tea consumption was associated with lower odds of PD/parkinsonian signs before age adjustment (OR=0.482, p=.045), but not after adjustment (OR=0.536, p=.105); alcohol burden (OR=0.584, p=.064; adjusted OR=0.742, p=.310) and lifetime inactivity (vigorous OR=1.244, p=.233; moderate OR=1.277, p=.175) showed directional associations but were nonsignificant. Conclusions: PD/parkinsonian signs were associated with older age, sleep problems, and lower cognitive performance. Preliminary diet, alcohol, and lifetime activity findings support future longitudinal study of PD/parkinsonian signs.