Abstract

Dysphoria, dopaminergic medication and spatial memory in Parkinsons disease

Author(s): Yuliya Stankevich, Franka Thurm, Ricarda Evens, Mareike Fauser, Oliver Riedel, Alexander Storch, Shu-Chen Li, Ulrike Lueken

Depression is considered a potential risk factor for developing cognitive deficits and dementia during the progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Depression and dysthymia are also among the most frequent neuropsychiatric comorbidities, especially in later stages of PD. Regardless of the depression diagnosis, clinical and subsyndromal depressive symptoms in PD patients are associated with decreased daily functioning. However, very little is known about subsyndromal depressive symptoms and their relations to cognitive function and dopamine medication in PD. Here we investigated depressive symptoms and spatial memory performance in 34 early PD patients compared to 36 matched healthy controls in a pharmacobehavioral cross-over study.