Pacific Northwest Udall Center of excellence clinical consortium: study design and baseline cohort characteristics.
BACKGROUND
The substantial proportion of individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) who have or are expected to develop concomitant cognitive impairment emphasizes the need for large, well-characterized participant cohorts to serve as a basis for research into the causes, manifestations, and potential treatments of cognitive decline in those with PD.


OBJECTIVE
To establish a multi-site clinical core that cognitively and clinically characterizes patients with PD by obtaining quality longitudinal clinical, neuropsychological, and validated biomarker data.


METHODS
Six hundred nineteen participants with idiopathic PD (68.0 ± 9.1 years, 7.1 ± 6.2 years since diagnosis, 70% males) were enrolled in the Pacific Northwest Udall Center (PANUC), one of the Morris K. Udall Centers of Excellence for Parkinson's Research, Clinical Consortium and underwent comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological assessment. Participants were diagnosed with no cognitive impairment (PD-NCI), mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI), or dementia (PDD) at a diagnostic consensus conference.


RESULTS
A substantial proportion of the overall sample was diagnosed with cognitive impairment at baseline: 22% with PDD and 59% with PD-MCI. A higher rate of cognitive impairment was observed in men than women (87% vs. 68%, p < 0.0001), despite a higher level of education. Most patients older than 50 years at the time of diagnosis and with disease duration greater than 10 years were cognitively impaired or demented.


CONCLUSIONS
The PANUC Clinical Consortium is a clinically and cognitively well-characterized cohort of patients with PD. Baseline cohort characteristics demonstrate a high rate of cognitive impairment in the sample, as well as potential sex differences with regard to cognitive diagnosis. The PANUC Clinical Consortium, with its access to biomarker, genetic, and autopsy data, provides an excellent foundation for detailed research related to cognitive impairment in PD.
Geriatric Research, Education, & Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, Seattle, WA 98493, USA. bchol@u.washington.edu
Brenna A
BA
Cholerton
Cyrus P
CP
Zabetian
Joseph F
JF
Quinn
Kathryn A
KA
Chung
Amie
A
Peterson
Alberto J
AJ
Espay
Fredy J
FJ
Revilla
Johnna
J
Devoto
G Stennis
GS
Watson
Shu-Ching
SC
Hu
Karen L
KL
Edwards
Thomas J
TJ
Montine
James B
JB
Leverenz
D000368:Aged; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D015205:Northwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*