Correlations of apathy and depression with postural instability in Parkinson disease.
BACKGROUND
Postural instability (PI) in Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with depression and apathy based on UPDRS scores. We sought to examine the link using more objective PI measures.


METHODS
Demographic, clinical, depression and apathy data were recorded for PD patients prospectively recruited from an outpatient university movement disorders clinic. PI was objectively evaluated using the standing center of pressure sway area.


RESULTS
Thirty-seven PD patients participated in the study. Bivariate analysis revealed that PI was significantly correlated to both apathy (p=0.018) and depression (p=0.014). Hierarchical regression revealed that apathy significantly predicted PI but depression did not significantly add to the prediction. Also, depression did not significantly predict PI and the addition of apathy did not increase this prediction.


CONCLUSIONS
Apathy and depression are both associated with objective measures of PI, and apathy appears a stronger predictor of PI than depression. Concomitant improvement in PI may be important to consider when measuring apathy or depression interventions in PD.
Department of Neurology, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. Electronic address: hassan.anhar@mayo.edu.
Anhar
A
Hassan
Department of Physical Therapy Education, Elon University, Elon, NC, USA.
Srikant
S
Vallabhajosula
Department of Neurology and Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and The Aging Brain, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.
Laura B
LB
Zahodne
Department of Neurology, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; Clinical & Health Psychology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Dawn
D
Bowers
Department of Neurology, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Michael S
MS
Okun
Center for Neurological Restoration, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Hubert H
HH
Fernandez
Department of Neurology, Center for Movement Disorders and Neurorestoration, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
Chris J
CJ
Hass
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057565:Apathy / Q000502:physiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013223:Statistics as Topic
Affect; Gait; Mood; Parkinsonism; Posturography; Rating scales