Objective: To establish the impact of apathy on executive functioning in patients with IPDWD.
Background: Executive Functioning is one of the domains of neurocognitive functioning that is altered by the clinical picture of apathy in patients with Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease Without Dementia (IPDWD). Data obtained from different studies show that the processes of consolidation, storage and recall of information are related to a loss of interest, initiative and low self-esteem, symptoms that characterize apathy as a risk factor for generating dis-ejective syndrome in patients with IPDWD.
Method: Participants: We recruited 50 patients diagnosed with IPDWD, with a mean age of 64.85 years. We determined the association of memory functioning assessed by the Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale PD-CRS, correlated with apathetic symptomatology of the Lille Apathy Rating Scale (LARS), compared with a group of healthy subjects without a diagnosis of IPDWD. Statistical Analysis: Mann-Whitney U test – Spearman’s Rho.
Results: There are significant differences between patients with IPDWD and the group of healthy subjects (p<0.000) in all components of cognitive performance assessed by the PD-CRS. There are significant differences between both groups in the score obtained in the LARS (p< 0.001). There is no statistically significant negative correlation between the total score obtained from the LARS and the total score of the PD-CRS (Rho = -.161; p =.263). Significant differences were found in the spontaneous clock test domain of the PD-CRS (Rho = -,357; p = ,011), no significant differences were found in the visuospatial functioning section of the SCOPA-COG (Rho = -,110; p = ,462).
Conclusion: Conclusion: Apathy impacts on the cognitive phenotype of patients with IPDWD, it is necessary to establish lines of intervention that aim to minimize the deterioration of the patient’s prefrontal cortex, in order to minimize the risk of generating some type of dementia.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
P. Andrea Gutiérrez-Lenis, C. Alberto Hurtado-González, J. Felipe Ayala-Rico, S. Ospinta-Otalvaro, A. Lucumi-Moreno, M. Cañas-Lucendo, D. Reyes-Torres, S. Ordoñez-Cure, A. Cubides-Munévar, A. Maria Valencia-Orjuela. Negative Correlation between Apathy and Executive Functioning in Patients with Idiopathic Parkinson’s Disease without Dementia. [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2025; 40 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/negative-correlation-between-apathy-and-executive-functioning-in-patients-with-idiopathic-parkinsons-disease-without-dementia/. Accessed October 5, 2025.« Back to 2025 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/negative-correlation-between-apathy-and-executive-functioning-in-patients-with-idiopathic-parkinsons-disease-without-dementia/