Objective: The aim is to compare the cognitive function between normal and abnormal FDG-PET in non-demented Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Background: PD with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) patients exhibited reduced FDG uptake in the parietal and occipital lobes and in localized areas of the frontal and temporal lobes compared with controls, whereas PD with dementia (PDD) showed a widespread reduction of cortical metabolism.

Method: Twenty seven PD patients performed the FDG-PET. Nine patients showed normal FDG-PET. Eighteen patients showed abnormal hypometabolism. Cognitive function of PD were evaluated by using three brief screening tools such as mini-mental state examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Frontal assessment battery (FAB).

Results: Hypometabolism was revealed in the parietooccipitotemporal lobes, caudate nucleus and medial frontal lobes, and thalamus. PD patients with hypometabolism showed statistically significant lower scores in MMSE (p = 0.02), MoCA (p = 0.0245) and FAB (p = 0.0427) compared to those of PD with normal FDG-PET. In subitems analysis, a language of MMSE (p = 0.0201) and MoCA (p = 0.0252), an orientation of MMSE (p = 0.0426), and a memory of MoCA (p = 0.0371) showed significant differences between PD with normal and abnormal metabolism.

Conclusion: Like previously established reports, PD patients with hypometabolism showed more severe cognitive impairment than PD with normal metabolism. Language and memory including orientation domains in both MMSE and MoCA showed significantly low score. Contrast to MoCA and MMSE, any subitems of FAB did not showed significant differences between 2 groups. This point showed the limitation of the FAB as a screening assessment in the cognitive function of PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/the-comparison-of-cognitive-function-between-normal-and-abnormal-fdg-pet-in-non-demented-parkinsons-disease/