Article

Freezing of gait (FOG) in Parkinson disease (PD) may involve
executive dysfunction. This study examined whether executive functioning and
attention are more affected in patients with FOG compared with those without and
determined whether these processes are influenced by anti-Parkinson medication.
METHODS: A total of 11 PD patients with FOG, 11 without FOG, and 10 healthy
control subjects, matched for age, gender, and education, participated. General
motor, mental and cognitive screening tests, as well as specific
neuropsychological assessment of executive functions and the Attention Network
Test (ANT) were administered. The ANT was conducted in both ON and OFF phases in
a counterbalanced design to determine medication-specific effects. RESULTS: FOG
showed a clear association with impairment in the executive control network for
conflict resolution (inhibition of unwanted responses and impaired response
selection), compared with nonfreezers and healthy controls, F(2, 28) = 5.41, P =
.01. Orienting and alerting function did not differ between groups, F < 1. Other
executive functions, such as abstract problem solving and mental flexibility were
not associated with FOG (P > .10). Anti-Parkinson medication did not ameliorate
conflict resolution (P > .10), although orienting attention improved with
medication, F(1, 17) = 9.81, P < .01. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows an
association between impaired conflict resolution and FOG, important in
understanding the interplay between cognitive and motor problems, which can lead
to specific rehabilitation strategies.

Langue : ANGLAIS