Visuospatial impairment in Parkinson's disease

Abstract
We explored the nature of the visuospatial deficit in Parkinson9s disease (PD) and its progression as a function of disease duration. We compared the performance of 183 patients with idiopathic PD and 90 control subjects matched for age and education on six visuospatial measures. We divided patients into three groups according to the disease duration: early (1 to 4 years), middle (5 to 10 years), and advanced (> 10 years). Performance deteriorated in five of the six visuospatial measures, as a function of disease duration. However, the pattern of visuospatial decline depended on whether dementia was present. The results were not influenced by age or anticholinergic medication. These findings support the presence of visuospatial deficits in PD patients, with a changing pattern of impairment related to dementia and progression of the disease.

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