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Mental object rotation in Parkinson's disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2004

GREGORY P. CRUCIAN ,
ANNA M. BARRETT ,
DAVID W. BURKS ,
ALONSO R. RIESTRA ,
HEIDI L. ROTH ,
RONALD L. SCHWARTZ ,
WILLIAM J. TRIGGS ,
DAWN BOWERS ,
WILLIAM FRIEDMAN  and
MELVIN GREER
...Show all authors
GREGORY P. CRUCIAN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
ANNA M. BARRETT
Affiliation:
Division of Neurology, College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania
DAVID W. BURKS
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Gainesville VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida
ALONSO R. RIESTRA
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
HEIDI L. ROTH
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
RONALD L. SCHWARTZ
Affiliation:
Hattiesburg Clinic, Department of Neurology, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
WILLIAM J. TRIGGS
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
DAWN BOWERS
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
WILLIAM FRIEDMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurosurgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
MELVIN GREER
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
KENNETH M. HEILMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida Gainesville VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida
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Abstract

Deficits in visual-spatial ability can be associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), and there are several possible reasons for these deficits. Dysfunction in frontal–striatal and/or frontal–parietal systems, associated with dopamine deficiency, might disrupt cognitive processes either supporting (e.g., working memory) or subserving visual-spatial computations. The goal of this study was to assess visual–spatial orientation ability in individuals with PD using the Mental Rotations Test (MRT), along with other measures of cognitive function. Non-demented men with PD were significantly less accurate on this test than matched control men. In contrast, women with PD performed similarly to matched control women, but both groups of women did not perform much better than chance. Further, mental rotation accuracy in men correlated with their executive skills involving mental processing and psychomotor speed. In women with PD, however, mental rotation accuracy correlated negatively with verbal memory, indicating that higher mental rotation performance was associated with lower ability in verbal memory. These results indicate that PD is associated with visual–spatial orientation deficits in men. Women with PD and control women both performed poorly on the MRT, possibly reflecting a floor effect. Although men and women with PD appear to engage different cognitive processes in this task, the reason for the sex difference remains to be elucidated. (JINS, 2003, 9, 1078–1087.)

Keywords

Parkinson's diseaseVisual–spatial orientationMental rotationGender differences
Type
THEMATIC ARTICLES
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 9 , Issue 7 , November 2003 , pp. 1078 - 1087
Copyright
© 2003 The International Neuropsychological Society

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