Objective: We explored differences in communication abilities in people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (PwP-MCI) and those with normal cognition (PwP-CN). We describe differences in communication abilities perception as well as performance in both motor and cognitive tasks related to verbal communication.

Background: Impairment in communication abilities is common in PwP and worsens with the progression of the disease. The nature of these is multifactorial, driven by changes in voice, speech, language, and other cognitive abilities. However, to the extent presence of MCI affects communication abilities is not known. We hypothesized that cognitive impairment would affect cognitively demanding tasks, such as discourse, but not motor speech tasks.

Method: A sample of 36 PwP completed neuropsychological, speech and language testing as part of their evaluation for deep brain stimulation candidacy. The motor speech evaluation included maximum phonation time, sequential and alternating motion rates. The language evaluation included a naming task and three discourse tasks. The evaluation also included the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB), a self-reported questionnaire on communication abilities perception. Determination of cognitive impairment was done based on the Movement Disorders Society Task Force consensus criteria for mild cognitive impairment. Independent t-test examined differences between cognitive status groups.

Results: Both groups, PwP-CN (n=17) and PwP-MCI (n=29) noted impairment in their communication abilities in the CPIB. However, there were no significant differences between groups. On speech motor tasks, PwP-MCI had a shorter maximum phonation time duration (M=15.17, SD=6.08) compared to the PwP-CN group (M=20.25, SD=8.97); t(24.74) -2.292 p=.049. There were no differences in other motor speech tasks. Communication discourse, the presumptive cognitive task, was not significantly different between cognitive groups.

Conclusion: The relationship between cognitive impairment and communication abilities in PwP abilities remains poorly understood. Contrary to our hypothesis, there were no differences in cognitive-based tasks related to communication but there was a worse performance in voice tasks in the PwP-MCI. Findings warrants development of speech and language measures relevant to communication and cognition in Parkinson’s disease.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/how-does-mild-cognitive-impairment-in-parkinsons-disease-affect-communication-abilities/