Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the associations between IA, NPSs, and CI in People Living with PD (PwP)

Background: Interoceptive awareness (IA) involves perceiving internal body signals crucial for emotional and cognitive experiences. Previous studies have shown that interoception is related to neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs), such as depression and anxiety, which can alter interoceptive accuracy. Some research suggests that people with cognitive impairment (CI) exhibit lower IA. NPSs and CI are common in Parkinson’s Disease (PD)

Method: A cross-sectional study was carried out with Mexican PwP, who were diagnosed based on the MDS clinical criteria, recruited from the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery in Mexico City. Instruments applied included the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) scale, the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Movement Disorders Society – Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS). Spearman’s coefficients were employed to evaluate the correlations, while the Mann-Whitney U test was used for analyzing continuous variables.

Results: 50 PwP were included (56% males, mean age 62.0 ± 13.70 years). A moderate negative correlation was found for the Not-Worrying subdomain with HDRS, HARS, MDS-UPDRS parts I, II, and total score. Additionally, the Self-Regulation subdomain also showed moderate negative correlation with HDRS, HARS, and MDS-UPDRS part I

Conclusion: Significant results in the Not-Worrying and Self-Regulation subdomains indicate diminished IA in PwP, associated with depression and anxiety.

MAIA and depression

MAIA subdomains descriptive analysis

MAIA subdomains with scales

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/exploring-the-association-between-interoceptive-awareness-and-neuropsychiatric-symptoms-in-people-living-with-parkinsons-disease/