Frontal Atrophy and Executive Dysfunction Relate to Complex Numbers Impairment in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

• DOI: 10.3233/jad-215327
• Publication Date: 2022-07-05T15:21:31Z
• Authors: Erica Howard; Samantha Ballinger; Nikolas G. Kinney; Yvonne Balgenorth; Annabess Ehrhardt; Jeffrey S. Phillips; David J. Irwin; Murray Grossman; Katheryn A.Q. Cou...
• Keywords: Executive dysfunction; Executive summary

Background: Previous research finds a range of numbers impairments in Parkinsonian syndromes (PS), but has largely focused on how visuospatial impact deficits basic numerical processes (e.g., magnitude judgments, chunking). Differentiation between these functions and more complex often utilized everyday tasks may help elucidate neurocognitive neuroanatomic bases PS. Objective: To test correlates processing PS, we assessed number abilities, neuropsychological performance, cortical thickness progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) Lewy body spectrum disorders (LBSD). Methods: Fifty-six patients (LBSD = 35; PSP 21) completed Numbers Battery, including tasks. The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE), letter fluency (LF), Judgment Line Orientation (JOLO) global, executive, functioning respectively. Mann-Whitney U tests compared testing rank-transformed analysis covariance (ANCOVA) performance groups while adjusting for demographic variables. Spearman’s partial correlations related to Neuroimaging disease demographically-matched healthy controls. Results: had worse than LBSD ( F 6.06, p 0.02) similar 0.38, > 0.1), covarying MMSE sex. Across syndromes, impaired was linked poor LF (rho 0.34, 0.01) not JOLO 0.23, 0.05). Imaging revealed significant frontal atrophy controls, which associated with performance. Conclusion: demonstrated selective LBSD. This deficit relate executive dysfunction atrophy.