Objective: In the previous conference, we reported that the impairment of preattentive visual processing could be detected even among subjects considered to have normal cognitive function with an MMSE score of above 24 points. In the cognitive function assessment for PD in recent years, discovery of abnormality using MoCA has been reported. In the current study, we examined the correlation of preattentive defective visual perception and MoCA in the PD cases where subjects are considered to have normal cognitive function.

Methods: 82 patients with PD and 22 age matched controls were included in this study. Their preattentive visual cognition was assessed using the stimuli indicated in figure1 and the threshold was determined based on the Best-PEST algorithm. For the PD arm, an MoCA-J-based evaluation was carried out.

Results: With regard to preattentive visual cognitive function, a significant drop in discrimination threshold was observed in the PD arm in comparison with the result from the control arm for Session 1, 2 and 3. With regard to MoCA-J-based assessment, 64 subjects indicated a score lower than the cut-off value (≤25 pts) (lower group) and 18 subjects indicated a score higher than the cut-off value (≥25 pts) (higher group) in the PD arm. To evaluate the difference between those higher and lower group, the unpaired t-test was carried out to compare the results of threshold value for the preattentive visual cognition test. As a result, significant difference was observed between the group in Session 3, 4 and 5. With the purpose of determining the correlation between the threshold value for preattentive visual cognition test, MoCA-J based evaluation (total score and domain-based score) in the PD arm, Spearman’s rank order correlation coefficient was applied. As a result, negative correlation was discovered between the visual space cognition in MoCA-J and the results from Sessions 1, 3 and 5.

Conclusions: In patients with PD, a drop in preattentive visual cognitive function was observed even if their cognitive function was still within the normal range. By using more sensitive approaches to detect cognitive functions such as MoCA, this compromised preattentive visual cognitive function was proven to be associated with the compromised visual cognitive function.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/defective-visual-perception-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-the-impairment-of-preattentive-visual-processing-in-the-normal-intellectual-patients/