ID 77 – Confounding effect of age on verbal fluency after deep brain stimulation to the subthalamic nucleus (DBS-STN) in Parkinson's disease. Issue 3 (March 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cozac, V.; Schwarz, N.; Chaturvedi, M.; Bousleiman, H.; Hatz, F.; Taub, E.; Gschwandtner, U.; Fuhr, P.
• Is Part Of: Clinical neurophysiology. Volume 127:Issue 3(2016:Mar.)
• Page Start: e79
• Page End: e80
• Publication Date: 2016-03
• Subjects: Neurophysiology -- Periodicals; Electroencephalography -- Periodicals; Electromyography -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; 612.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2015.11.265
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1388-2457

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is commonly used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Various research groups have reported that DBS is associated with decreased verbal fluency. We investigated the possible confounding effects of patients' age, disease duration and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) on verbal fluency performance after DBS in patients with PD. Methods: 43 patients with PD and without major psychiatric illness (according to DSM-IV) were enrolled in the study, median age 63.4 years, range 39–76. Subjects were allocated to two groups: the first were scheduled to bilateral DBS-STN ( n = 21), the second comprised patients without DBS surgery ( n = 22). Verbal fluency performance in both groups was assessed with Controlled Oral Word Association Test at baseline and eight months later. Results: Decline in semantic fluency performance was found in the DBS group ( p = 0.03). No confounding effect of age, disease Duration and LEDD was found in relation to this decline. Conclusions: This restrospective observation confirms previous findings showing a decline in verbal fluency after DBS-STN in PD patients when compared with PD patients without surgery. Verbal fluency decline is unrelated to age, disease duration and LEDD.