Session Information
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Session Title: Surgical Therapy
Session Time: 1:15pm-2:45pm
Location: Les Muses Terrace, Level 3
Objective: To assess cognitive and behavioral effects of the subthalamic nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation (STN-DBS) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).
Background: STN-DBS surgery has been an established method to improve motor disabilities in PD patients. However, the effects of STN-DBS on cognitive functions and personality traits remain controversial.
Method: Fourteen idiopathic PD patients (men 8; [mean±SD] age 58.79 ± 7.22; education 13.43 ± 3.23) were evaluated before and 6 months after DBS surgery. We administered the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) to assess personality traits, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to evaluate the global cognitive efficiency and Alternate Verbal Fluency (AVF) to test shifting abilities. The EPQ-R is a self-report questionnaire evaluates three dimensions of personality measured on a continuum: Extraversion/Introversion, Neuroticism/Emotional Stability, and Psychoticism/Socialization. The AVF offers a composite shifting index to capture the shifting cost a subject pays passing from performing the single fluency subtests to performing the alternate fluency subtest.
Results: Results showed that 6 months after STN-DBS surgery shifting abilities significantly improved (0.72±0.21 vs 0.84±0.14, p=0.03). Conversely, there was no significant change in personality traits (p>.05) neither on global cognitive efficiency (p>.05).
Conclusion: Our study revealed that, after 6 months, STN-DBS surgery in PD patients failed to influence the personality traits and global cognitive functions, nevertheless we found an enhancement on the ability to change mental set. Because AVF is sensitivity in revealing cognitive impairments in patients suffering from frontal–striatal-related disorders, our findings provides evidence for the safety and efficacy of STN-DBS on complex mental operations. Future studies, including a greater number of patients and follow-up evaluations, are needed to confirm the results of this pilot study.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
F. Mameli, F. Ruggiero, M. Reitano, E. Gianoli, D. Tedino, L. Borellini, F. Cogiamanian, S. Barbieri, A. Priori, R. Ferrucci. Impact of Sub-Thalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation on Cognition and Behavior in Parkinson Patients [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2019; 34 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/impact-of-sub-thalamic-nucleus-deep-brain-stimulation-on-cognition-and-behavior-in-parkinson-patients/. Accessed June 15, 2025.« Back to 2019 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/impact-of-sub-thalamic-nucleus-deep-brain-stimulation-on-cognition-and-behavior-in-parkinson-patients/