Authors

  1. Gallagher, Rosemary PhD, PT, DPT, GCS
  2. Farella-Accurso, Michelle PT, DPT
  3. Johnson, Dara SPT
  4. Kang, Ramanjit SPT
  5. Rodriguez, Angel SPT
  6. Parrott, J. Scott PhD
  7. Cohen, Evan PhD, MA, PT, NCS

Abstract

Background: The combination of age and having Parkinson disease (PD) may result in deficits in cognition and balance over and above that of healthy older adults.

 

Objective: To determine the impact of age and disease on cognition and balance in younger and older adults with and without PD.

 

Methods: Forty people with PD and 28 healthy adults participated. Cognition was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Balance was assessed using the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (MiniBESTest).

 

Results: People with PD performed worse on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and MiniBESTest compared with healthy controls. No main or interaction effects of age were found.

 

Conclusions: Although people with PD scored more poorly on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and MiniBESTest than healthy adults, the results were independent of age in this sample.