Background. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with cognitive decline, progressing from subjective memory complaints (SMC) via mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to dementia. SMC are only measurable by an interview and thus rely on individuals reporting a subjectively perceived worsening of cognitive functioning. Cognitive decline is accompanied by a reduction in quality of life (QoL); however, the extent to which SMC manifest a reduction of QoL remains unclear. Objective. To determine the association between SMC and deterioration of QoL in patients suffering from PD. Methods. A total of 46 cognitively unimpaired PD patients (29 men and 17 women) completed PDQ-39, two assessments to measure SMC (Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE) and a Self-Assessment questionnaire), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Multiple regression modelling was conducted to investigate the confounding effect of depression and anxiety. Results. The PDQ-39 domain cognitions, but not the PDQ-39 sum score, correlated significantly with the SMC Self-Assessment questionnaire (r = 0.57; p<0.001). The conducted regression model indicates a significant confounding effect of depression and anxiety (p<0.001, R2 = 0.55). Conclusion. In our study, SMC is significantly related to a reduction of cognitive QoL. In addition, we observed significant relation to anxiety and depression levels. In contrast to our main hypothesis, we found no association with overall QoL; this lack of association could be due to unstandardized questionnaires and emphasizes the need of validated tools for evaluating SMC.

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> The objective of this study is to compare 2 different rhythmic, high-intensive interventions, that is, rhythmic speech-language therapy (rSLT) versus rhythmic balance-mobility training (rBMT), against a no-therapy (NT) condition in patients with Parkinson’s disease and against healthy controls (HCs) with regard to the change in or enhancement of cognitive abilities. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> The 4 groups (rSLT: <i>N</i> = 16; rBMT: <i>N</i> = 10; NT: <i>N</i> = 18; and HC: <i>N</i> = 17) were matched for age, sex, and educational level and were tested in 6 cognitive domains: working memory, executive function, visuo-construction, episodic memory, attention, and word retrieval. Assessments took place at baseline, at 4 weeks (T1), and at 6 months (T2). Rhythmic interventions were provided 3 times per week for 4 weeks in total. To analyze true intervention effects between groups and across time, statistical analyses included <i>reliable change index.</i> Intergroup differences were assessed with multivariate assessment of variance, while differences within groups were assessed with 95% confidence intervals of mean difference. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The rSLT improved <i>working memory</i> and <i>word retrieval</i> (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05), possibly a beneficial transfer effect of the training method per se. In contrast, the NT group worsened in <i>phonemic</i> and <i>semantic shifting</i> (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.01). Observed improvements in <i>flexibility</i> and in <i>episodic memory</i> in the HC may be linked to training effects of retesting. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Rhythmic cues are resistant to neurodegeneration and have a strong motivating factor. As thus, these may facilitate high-intensive and demanding training. Although both trainings were superior to NT, the improvement of cognitive abilities depends on the specific training method. Further, therapy may be more effective when delivered by a therapist rather than by an impersonal computer program.

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