Parkinson's disease

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Fifteen undemented patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 15 age-matched controls were given a battery of tests to assess sensorimotor integration in the arms. PD patients made more errors (p < 0.01) than controls, particularly in tests of proprioception. Age was not related to errors. Compared with controls, two-point discrimination thresholds were significantly higher (p <0.02) on the index finger of PD patients, but not on the forearm. Results confirm the sensorimotor deficits found earlier in an orofacial study, and imply that PD involves a generalized dysfunction of sensorimotor integration and proprioception, probably a result of impaired basal ganglia function in processing and integrating sensory input to organize and guide movement.