title: Neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms and body side of onset of parkinsonism in unmedicated Parkinson's disease patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The onset of motor symptoms is primarily unilateral in the majority of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Because of the lateralization of several cognitive and neuropsychiatric functions and the role of impaired dopaminergic transmission on non-motor symptoms in PD, the question raises whether body side of onset of parkinsonian motor symptoms might influence cognitive and/or neuropsychiatric domains in idiopathic PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here we investigated the prevalence and severity of neuropsychiatric and cognitive alterations in a cohort of 84 drug naïve PD patients, divided into two groups according to the body side of onset of motor symptoms (42 left onset PD patients-LPD and 42 right onset PD patients-RPD). Eighty-four age-, sex- and educational level-matched healthy subjects (HC) served as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both LPD and RPD patients had higher prevalence and severity of neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms with respect to HC. There were no difference between LPD and RPD as to the pattern or severity of neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms. However, significantly higher percentage of LPD patients than RPD deviated more than 1.5 SD from mean values of HC at scales for depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that in early PD patients side of onset of parkinsonian motor symptoms does not influence non-motor accompanying signs, at least at neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological domains, and suggest that differences reported by previous reports may be secondary to disease progression and/or dopamine replacement therapy.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy; Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Salute Mentale e Organi di Senso, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Via di Grottarossa, 1035, 00179, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Clelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pellicano
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Assogna
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cravello
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langella
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caltagirone
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spalletta
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Santa Lucia, IRCCS, Via Ardeatina 306, 00189, Roma, Italy; Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Salute Mentale e Organi di Senso, "Sapienza" Università di Roma, Via di Grottarossa, 1035, 00179, Roma, Italy. Electronic address: fe.pontieri@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesco E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pontieri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
keywords: Anxiety; Cognition; Depression; Lateralization; Non-motor symptoms; Parkinson's disease