Objective: We explored the capacity of a new digitalized multi-domain cognitive battery, to differentiate PD patients with MCI from those without MCI.

Background: MCI is a strong risk factor of dementia in PD patients. However, usual cognitive tests need a thorough assessment lasting more than an hour to differentiate patients with MCI from cognitively normal subjects. Short digitalized battery might conveniently replace classical battery.

Method: PD patients (n=24) fulfilling UK PDS Brain Bank criteria were selected consecutively in a Movement Disorder clinic on disease duration ≥ 5 y, age <75 y, French being native language, no dementia (MMS>24). Patients were classified into PD-MCI (n=11, age mean 65) or PD-nonMCI (n=13, age mean 66.5) by using standard neuropsychological assessment. All PD subjects and 53 healthy controls matched for age and education were tested with a new digitalized cognitive battery lasting 15 min and divided into 5 parts: motor, language, memory, visuospatial and executive functions. In each part of the battery, participants have to press a button in response to visual items and response time (RT) and accuracy were recorded. We calculated global scores for accuracy and RT by averaging accuracy and RT scores of the 4 cognitive functions. Statistical analyses were performed using general Least-squares linear models for the differences between the 3 groups and Student or Kruskal-Wallis tests for the comparisons between PD-MCI and PD-nonMCI.

Results: PD-MCI patients were impaired in the global accuracy score compared to controls (p<0.001) and PD non-MCI (p<0.05). The global RT score of the PD-MCI group was higher than the controls (p<0.05) but not PD-nonMCI. The accuracy/RT ratio of the executive test was higher in the PD-nonMCI (p<0.01) and the controls (p<0.001) compared to the PD-MCI. PD-MCI were less accurate than controls in the language test (p<0.01) and there was a trend compared to PD non-MCI (p=0.06). In addition, controls were faster in the language part than both PD-MCI (p<0.05) and PD non-MCI (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Despite a small number of subjects, our new digitalized cognitive battery is able to differentiate PD patients MCI from controls and patients without MCI in only 15 minutes. However, we need to go on with this study with a largest number of subjects to confirm the results.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/short-digitalized-cognitive-test-help-differentiating-parkinsons-disease-pd-patients-with-and-without-mild-cognitive-impairment-mci/