Abstract
While little is known about risk factors for cognitive impairment in early onset Parkinson disease (EOPD), postmortem studies have shown an association between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and glucocerebrosidase (GBA) mutation. We compared Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) performance and self-reported cognitive impairment in 699 EOPD participants genotyped for mutations in parkin (PRKN), leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2), and GBA. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between reported cognitive impairment and MMSE score, as well as between GBA group membership and self-reported impairment and MMSE. GBA carriers reported more impairment, but MMSE performance did not differ among genetic groups. Detailed neuropsychological testing is required to explore the association between cognitive impairment and GBA mutations.
Notes
This study was funded by NIH NS36630, UL1 RR024156 (K.S.M.), NS050487, NS060113 (L.N.C.), and the Parkinson's Disease Foundation (K.S.M., S.F., and L.N.C.). RNA was supported by a Parkinson's Disease Foundation H. Houston Merritt Fellowship in Movement Disorders. The authors thank Adam Brickman, Paul Greene, and Diana Ruiz for their assistance. Disclosure: The authors report no conflicts of interest.