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Abstract

Objective:

Cognitive impairment is a common nonmotor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Individuals of Latino background are traditionally underrepresented in research on PD. Despite the fact that Latinos comprise 18% of the U.S. population, they commonly make up less than 5% of samples in studies of PD. Emerging evidence suggests that Latino individuals with PD may experience disparities relative to White non-Latinos in terms of having more severe motor symptoms, more severe depressive symptoms, and worse health-related quality of life. The purpose of the present study was to investigate differences in cognitive performance between Latino and White non-Latino individuals with PD and examine correlates of cognitive performance.

Methods:

Data were obtained from the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative. Participants included 60 Latino individuals with PD and 1,009 White non-Latino individuals with PD, all of whom were followed annually for up to 5 years. Participants completed neuropsychological tests of attention and working memory, processing speed, visuospatial functioning, verbal fluency, and immediate and delayed memory and recall.

Results:

Relative to White non-Latino individuals with PD, Latino individuals with PD had significantly lower scores on the global measure of cognitive functioning, a test of processing speed, and tests of working memory and attention. Years of education was the strongest correlate of performance in these three cognitive domains among individuals in the Latino group.

Conclusions:

These findings provide initial evidence of disparities in cognitive functioning among Latino individuals with PD. Educational disadvantages may be one potential driver of these disparities.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
Go to The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
PubMed: 39113494

History

Received: 8 January 2024
Revision received: 6 May 2024
Accepted: 8 May 2024
Published online: 8 August 2024

Keywords

  1. Cognitive Disorders
  2. Educational Disadvantages
  3. Neurodegenerative Disorders
  4. Parkinson’s Disease
  5. Racial-Ethnic Disparities
  6. Underrepresented Populations

Authors

Details

Yenny Valenzuela, M.S.
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Kenya Luna, M.S.
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Ruth Uribe-Kirby, B.A.
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Alejandra Pawlak
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Lauren Pitman
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Priscilla Cuellar-Rocha, B.A.
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Guadalupe Romero Lucatero, B.A.
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Maria M. Santos, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.
Jacob D. Jones, Ph.D. [email protected]
Department of Psychology (all authors) and Center on Aging (Jones), California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino.

Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Jones ([email protected]).

Competing Interests

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

This work was supported by NIH (grants SC3NS124906 and T34GM136467 to Dr. Jones and grant K23MH119313 to Dr. Santos). Ms. Uribe-Kirby, Ms. Pawlak, and Ms. Pitman were supported by NIH grant T34GM136467.

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