Objective: To investigate the prevalence of anhedonia in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and to analyze its relationship with age, motor deficit severity, depression, and cognitive impairment.

Background: Anhedonia in PD is considered a clinical manifestation of damage to the mesolimbic and mesocortical dopaminergic pathways, as well as disrupted interactions between the prefrontal cortex and subcortical structures. The correlation between anhedonia and motor severity, cognitive status, and patient age remains insufficiently explored. Clarifying these relationships is crucial for a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of non-motor symptoms in PD and for developing personalized therapeutic strategies.

Method: A total of 189 patients with PD (aged 39–85 years) were examined. Anhedonia levels were assessed using the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), cognitive functions via the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), depression levels via the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and motor deficit severity using the MDS-UPDRS Part III. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05.

Results: Anhedonia was identified in 141 (75%) patients, depression in 53 (28%), and cognitive impairment in 76 (40%). No statistically significant correlation was found between anhedonia severity and age (r= 0.23; p = 0.039), motor deficit (r= -0.15; p = 0.58), or cognitive impairment (r= -0.64; p = 0.065). However, a strong positive correlation was observed between the severity of anhedonia and depression (r = 0.66; p = 0.0056). These findings confirm a close association between anhedonic syndrome and affective disorders in PD.

Conclusion: Anhedonia is one of the most prevalent non-motor symptoms of PD and is primarily associated with depression rather than motor deficit severity. This aligns with the concept of predominant dysfunction within the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. The observed trend toward a link with cognitive decline suggests that anhedonia could serve as a potential early marker for an unfavorable non-motor PD phenotype, warranting further investigation in longitudinal studies.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/anhedonia-in-parkinsons-disease-prevalence-and-clinical-correlations/