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. 1996 Mar;60(3):313–317. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.60.3.313

Working memory in medicated patients with Parkinson's disease: the central executive seems to work.

N Fournet 1, O Moreaud 1, J L Roulin 1, B Naegele 1, J Pellat 1
PMCID: PMC1073856  PMID: 8609510

Abstract

OBJECTIVE--To determine whether a deficit of the central executive can explain the attentional deficits of patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS--Fifteen patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease and 15 controls were given a dual task paradigm minimising motor demands and combining verbal, visual, or spatial span with two conditions of articulatory suppression. RESULTS--Although the spans were systematically lower in medicated parkinsonian patients than in controls, suggesting a decrease of central processing resources, there was no direct evidence for a deficit of the central executive. CONCLUSIONS--A deficit of the central executive either is not an inevitable feature of the disease, or is dependent on the nature of task (visuomotor v cognitive), or is corrected by dopaminergic medication.

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Selected References

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