Cognitive Influences in Parkinson's Disease Patients and Their Caregivers: Perspectives From an Australian Cohort

Abstract

Objectives: Cognitive impairment impacts negatively on Parkinson's disease (PD) patient and caregiver quality of life (QoL). We examined cognitive impairment in PD patients and their caregivers to determine if caregiver cognition affected their PD relative.Methods: Validated cognition and clinical outcome measures were assessed in 103 PD patients and 81 caregivers.Results: PD patients showed more cognitive impairment than their carers, with 48.6% having possible Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and 16.5% having PD dementia. Increasing age, male gender, lower education level, various non-motor symptoms and certain therapies, associated with poorer cognition in PD. Eighteen and a half percent of caregivers were found to have MCI, in association with a lower physical and mental QoL. This reflected in lower QoL and mood for the respective PD patients.Conclusion: Impaired cognition and QoL in caregivers was associated with decreased QoL and mood for respective PD patients, suggesting MCI in caregivers is an important consideration for the management of PD.

Nutritional Intake and Gut Microbiome Composition Predict Parkinson’s Disease

“…Briefly, 56.3% of the PD participants were male with a mean age of 67.1 years (range 35–88, standard deviation [SD 12.2]), whilst two thirds of the HCs were female, with a mean age of 62.4 years (range 18–90, [SD 15.6], p = 0.001). All relevant demographic, clinical parameter and nutritional intake information has been reported previously for this cohort ( Lubomski et al, 2020a , b , 2021a , b ; Palavra et al, 2021 ) and is reproduced in Tables 1 , 2 and Supplementary Data , where relevant to this study.…”

“…Information regarding socio-demographic factors, lifestyle, clinical management and comorbidities was collected from validated surveys, as previously reported ( Lubomski et al, 2020a , b , 2021a , b , 2021c ; Palavra et al, 2021 ). A comprehensive Food Frequency Questionnaire ( Barclay et al, 2008 ), was completed by all participants.…”

The Gut Microbiome in Parkinson’s Disease: A Longitudinal Study of the Impacts on Disease Progression and the Use of Device-Assisted Therapies

“…Subjects were recruited from the movement disorder and neurology clinics at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia, as reported in our previous studies ( Lubomski et al, 2020a , b , 2021a , b , c ; 2022 ). Inclusion criteria: being managed by a specialist neurologist, a clinical diagnosis of idiopathic PD according to the UK Parkinson’s Disease Society Brain Bank Diagnostic Criteria ( Hughes et al, 1992 ), and >18 years of age.…”

The impact of caregiving on quality of life in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review

“…Another caregiver measure that was evaluated was caregiver strain ( n = 6). All six studies identified a significant relationship between caregiver strain and PD QOL (summary of association = 100%) 38,48‐58 . In these studies, higher caregiver strain was associated with worse QOL for the PD patient.…”

“…All six studies identified a significant relationship between caregiver strain and PD QOL (summary of association = 100%). 38,[48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58] In these studies, higher caregiver strain was associated with worse QOL for the PD patient. Most articles examined this relationship with univariable analyses; however, one article did report the results of a regression analysis that accounted for patient sex, age, comorbidities, Hoehn and Yahr stage, mobility, verbal fluency, recall scores, and the use of treatments for depression, psychosis, and cognition.…”