Impacts of motor phenotype on cognitive function in patients with Parkinson's disease 1 year after subthalamic‐nucleus deep brain stimulation

Abstract

Background Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological disorder that affects both motor and cognitive functioning. This study aimed to examine the impact of motor phenotype on cognitive function 1 year after subthalamic‐nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN‐DBS). Methods The prospectively collected data of 37 patients with PD were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two group according to their motor phenotype: the postural instability and gait disturbance (PIGD) group comprised 16 patients, and the tremor‐dominant (TD) group comprised 21 patients. The clinical characteristics and cognitive functions of all patients were examined at baseline and at the 1‐year follow‐up after STN‐DBS. Results The data showed that STN‐DBS significantly improved motor functions (P < 0.05). A repeated‐measures analysis of variance indicated a considerable group × time interaction impact on the memory quotient score (P < 0.001) and Tmin (P = 0.033). Conclusions A distinct relationship between the neuropsychological spectrum and motor phenotype of PD patients was observed at the 1‐year follow‐up after STN‐DBS, with worse cognitive outcomes in patients with the PIGD phenotype. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2023; 23: 85–90.