Research on the implications of anxiety in Parkinsonââ?¬â?¢s disease (PD) has been neglected despite its prevalence in nearly 50% of\npatients and its negative impact on quality of life. Previous reports have noted that neuropsychiatric symptoms impair cognitive\nperformance in PD patients; however, to date, no study has directly compared PD patients with and without anxiety to examine\nthe impact of anxiety on cognitive impairments in PD. This study compared cognitive performance across 50 PD participants with\nand without anxiety (17 PDA+; 33 PDAâË?â??), who underwent neurological and neuropsychological assessment. Group performance\nwas compared across the following cognitive domains: simple attention/visuomotor processing speed, executive function (e.g., setshifting),\nworking memory, language, and memory/new verbal learning. Results showed that PDA+ performed significantly worse\non the Digit Span forward and backward test and Part B of the Trail Making Task (TMT-B) compared to the PDAâË?â?? group.There\nwere no group differences in verbal fluency, logical memory, or TMT-A performance. In conclusion, anxiety in PD has ameasurable\nimpact on working memory and attentional set-shifting.
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