A common cognitive profile in elderly fallers and in patients with Parkinson's disease: the prominence of impaired executive function and attention

Abstract

The present study examined the cognitive profile of elderly fallers relative to healthy elderly controls and patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), a positive-control group, using a computerized battery. Fallers performed more poorly than controls on executive function, attention, and motor skills, but performed comparably on memory, information processing and the Mini-Mental State Examination. A similar profile was evident for PD patients. However, unlike PD patients, fallers were abnormally inconsistent in their reaction times. These findings indicate that elderly fallers may have a unique cognitive processing deficit (i.e., variability of response timing) and underscore the importance of executive function and attention as potential targets for fall risk screening and interventions.

Figures

Figure 1

Index scores and Global Cognitive Score performance (mean+standard error) for the healthy controls and for the Parkinson’s disease and faller groups. Data is normalized and fit to an IQ-style scale (mean: 100, SD: 15) in an age- and education-specific fashion. * indicates p<0.05 versus healthy controls by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

Figure 2

Consistency of reaction times in the three study groups. Standard deviation of reaction time for Go-NoGo and Stroop tests and standard deviation of time to first move for the Catch Game was significantly larger in the faller group compared to the healthy controls. * indicates p<0.05 versus healthy controls by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). See the text for additional details.