Small-scale, or microstructural, brain alterations observed on the MRIs of people with Parkinson’s disease were associated with worse bimanual coordination, a type of complex movement, a study found. “[D]istinct changes in microstructure cause an impediment of structures involved in attention, working memory, executive function, motor planning, motor control, and…

Multiple cognitive difficulties, especially problems with memory, are quite common among people in the later stages of Parkinson’s disease, a study in these patients reported. Its researchers found evidence of difficulties that ranged verbal learning to comprehension, with memory most severely affected in 64% of the patients evaluated, and…

No differences in cognitive abilities were identified between men and women with Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study. Although no tests were conducted, the researchers suggested the lack of cognitive differences between male and female patients, which is found in aging healthy individuals, may be due to the…

A new behavioral test called the free-movement pattern Y-maze could be useful in assessing problems with working memory, both in animal models and people, a new study suggests. It may also help with research into neurological diseases like Parkinson’s. The study, “The Free-movement pattern Y-maze: A…

Cognitive abilities and problems with freezing of gait in people with Parkinson’s disease do not seem to be significantly related, new research indicates. The study, “Cognitive function in people with and without freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease,” was published in npj Parkinson’s Disease. Freezing is a relatively…

A form of repetitive transcranial brain stimulation known as intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) failed to improve cognitive function in people with Parkinson’s disease, according to a recent study. The study, “Impact of Prefrontal Intermittent Theta-Burst Stimulation on Working Memory and Executive Function in Parkinson’s Disease: A Double-Blind…

Low-frequency subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS), but not high-frequency STN-DBS, reduces freezing of gait in Parkinson’s patients while preserving their ability to simultaneously process motor and cognitive information, a recent study shows. The study, “Decreasing subthalamic deep brain stimulation frequency reverses cognitive interference during gait initiation in…