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Detection of mild cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease patients with the WAIS–R NI

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2001

GUERRY M. PEAVY
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego
DAVID P. SALMON
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego
INGE BEAR
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego
JANE S. PAULSEN
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa
DEBORAH A. CAHN
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University School of Medicine
C. RICHARD HOFSTETTER
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego
EDITH F. KAPLAN
Affiliation:
Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, and Behavioral Neurosciences, Boston University School of Medicine and Department of Psychology, Suffolk University
DEAN C. DELIS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego VA San Diego Healthcare System
CLIFFORD W. SHULTS
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego VA San Diego Healthcare System

Abstract

The relative insensitivity of traditional IQ tests to mild cognitive deficits has led investigators to develop a version of the widely used Wechsler intelligence scales that allows quantitative analysis of underlying qualitative responses. This instrument, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Revised as a Neuropsychological Instrument (WAIS–R NI) was administered to 16 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and 30 normal controls (NC). The 2 groups did not differ significantly in mean age or education, or on their mean Mattis Dementia Rating Scale score. Relative to NC participants, PD patients showed decreased visual attention span, longer response latencies, slower visuomotor processing, and more stimulus-bound errors. Many of the WAIS–R NI measures were able to detect cognitive impairment in a greater percentage of patients than the traditional WAIS–R measures, making it easier to identify deficits that could affect quality of life early in the course of the disease. (JINS, 2001, 7, 535–543.)

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2001 The International Neuropsychological Society

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