Objective: Assessment, description and mutual comparison of cognitive impairment in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) and multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Background: In most recent neuropsychological studies, only the screening methods were applied to assess global cognition and executive functions in PSP and MSA, e.g. the Frontal Assessment Battery and the Dementia Rating Scale.

Methods: In our detailed neuropsychological battery, executive functions, attention, verbal fluency and visual perception were examined; tests such as TMT, Stroop test, ROCF, Verbal fluency, WMS, Digit span test, Block design, FAB, MMSE and Clock drawing test were used to explore cognitive domains.

Results: Pilot results show that all patients clinically diagnosed with probable MSA (4) had no cognitive impairment. Out of patients clinically diagnosed with probable PSP (11), 4 patients meet the criteria for dementia, 5 patients for mild cognitive impairment; in these 9 PSP patients the dysexecutive syndrome was present. In other 2 PSP patients only attention deficit was seen.

Conclusions: Only those with probable PSP and at least with mild cognitive impairment had deficits in executive functions, attention and phonemic verbal fluency. There were no signs of cognitive impairment in MSA patients and also in the small proportion PSP patients. Nevertheless, the research in larger cohorts is planned to involve more PSP patients with different phenotypes. Study supported by: grant IGA UPOL_ LF_2015_22.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/cognitive-impairment-in-patients-with-progressive-supranuclear-palsy-and-multiple-system-atrophy/