Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Tokyo
Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
Note: [] Department of Neurology, Neurological Institute, Tokyo Women's
Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan. Tel.:
+81 3 3353 8111; Ext. 39232; Fax: +81 3 5269 7324
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between
P300 that is one of the event-related potentials and frontal cognitive
functions in Parkinson's disease (PD) without clinically apparent dementia.
Subjects were 20 PD cases 48 to 79 years of age, all of whom were
within normal limits on the Mini-Mental State examination, and 55 age-matched
healthy adults. P300 was elicited with an auditory oddball paradigm and recorded at
15 sites on the scalp. Cognitive functioning of the frontal lobe was evaluated
using the New Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Letter
Pick-Out Test (LPOT) which reflects selective attention and semantic
categorization. P300 latency was delayed in 30.0% of P300 demonstrated abnormal
distribution in 20.0%. the WCST and the LPOT were abnormal in 15.0%, P300
latency significantly correlated with number of subcategories achieved on the
WCST. P300 amplitude correlated with scores on the LPOT. These results suggest
that cognitive dysfunction which linked partly to the frontal lobe might begin
in PD even without clinically apparent dementia.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease, P300, topographic mapping, frontal lobe function, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Letter Pick-Out Test
