Cognitive predictors of balance in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

Postural instability is one of the most incapacitating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and appears to be related to cognitive deficits. This study aims to determine the cognitive factors that can predict deficits in static and dynamic balance in individuals with PD. A sociodemographic questionnaire characterized 52 individuals with PD for this work. The Trail Making Test, Rule Shift Cards Test, and Digit Span Test assessed the executive functions. The static balance was assessed using a plantar pressure platform, and dynamic balance was based on the Timed Up and Go Test. The results were statistically analysed using SPSS Statistics software through linear regression analysis. The results show that a statistically significant model based on cognitive outcomes was able to explain the variance of motor variables. Also, the explanatory value of the model tended to increase with the addition of individual and clinical variables, although the resulting model was not statistically significant The model explained 25–29% of the variability of the Timed Up and Go Test, while for the anteroposterior displacement it was 23–34%, and for the mediolateral displacement it was 24–39%. From the findings, we conclude that the cognitive performance, especially the executive functions, is a predictor of balance deficit in individuals with PD.

Keywords:

• Parkinson
• balance
• cognition
• predictors
• displacement

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding of Project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000022—SciTech—Science and Technology for Competitive and Sustainable Industries, co-financed by “Programa Operacional Regional do Norte” (NORTE2020), through “Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional” (FEDER).

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.