title: Muscle strength and executive function as complementary parameters for the assessment of impairment in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the relationship between the quantitative results of functional and cognitive performance of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and disease severity; and to study the relationship between patients' functional and cognitive capacity and motor impairment (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale - UPDRS III).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-nine subjects clinically diagnosed with PD were classified into three groups according to disease severity using the modified Hoehn and Yahr Scale (H&Y). They were submitted to functional (Senior Fitness Test) and neuropsychological tests. Stepwise regression analysis showed a significant association between H&Y and upper limb strength (r² =0.30; p=0.005) and executive function (r² =0.37; p=0.004). In relation to UPDRS III, there was a significant association between lower limb strength (r² =0.27; p=0.010) and global cognitive status (r² =0.24; p=0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The implementation of simple tests of functional capacity associated with neuropsychological testing can help to assess disease severity and motor impairment, and can be used to monitor the response to treatment in PD.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurociência do Exercício, Universidade Gama Filho, Brazil, Rio de JaneiroRJ.
authors.forename: Dannyel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Barbirato
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurociência do Exercício, Universidade Gama Filho, Brazil, Rio de JaneiroRJ.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurociência do Exercício, Universidade Gama Filho, Brazil, Rio de JaneiroRJ.
authors.forename: Narahyana Bom de
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Neurologia Deolindo Couto, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Rio de JaneiroRJ.
authors.forename: José Vicente
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurociência do Exercício, Universidade Gama Filho, Brazil, Rio de JaneiroRJ.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deslandes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D053580:Muscle Strength / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index