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Executive Dysfunction’s Role in PD, Based on MoCA
Parkinsonism Relat Disord; ePub 2017 May 25; Benge, et al
In keeping with prior studies in Parkinson disease (PD), executive dysfunction seems to underpin performance of many items of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), a recent study found. Researchers analyzed item responses from the MoCA in 357 individuals with PD from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative for frequency of errors and polychoric inter-item correlations. This correlation matrix was then analyzed with exploratory factor analysis. They found:
- Factor analysis revealed that the MoCA is explained by 3 factors in early PD; these factors were reflective of executive dysfunction, memory, and verbal attention.
- Scores on the MoCA and all of its subscales were significantly different between individuals with PD and no cognitive impairment and those who met criteria for mild cognitive impairment.
Benge JF, Balsis S, Madeka T, Uhlman C, Lantrip C, Soileau MJ. Factor structure of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment items in a sample with early Parkinson's disease. [Published online ahead of print May 25, 2017]. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. doi:10.1016/j.parkreldis.2017.05.023.