A meta-analytic review of prospection deficits in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders, and is associated with prominent motor deficits. However, neurocognitive impairment is also a common clinical feature that can contribute greatly to the overall disease burden. In the current study, a meta-analysis was conducted to gain a clearer understanding of how PD affects one of the most functionally important domains of cognition: prospection. The results indicate that, relative to controls, PD is associated with a large deficit in the capacity to engage in planning (g = -0.81, K = 25) and a moderate-sized deficit in prospective memory (g = -0.57, K = 16). Sub-analyses indicated that these deficits are evident for both time and event-based prospective memory, as well as for prospective memory tasks that have relatively limited ecological validity. Significant impairment was also evident for both medicated and non-medicated PD sub-groups, but for planning, these deficits were substantially greater in the unmedicated sub-group. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords: Dopaminergic medication; Ecological validity; Parkinson’s disease; Planning; Prospection; Prospective memory.