Differences in EEG Event-Related Potentials during Dual Task in Parkinson's Disease Carriers and Non-Carriers of the G2019S-LRRK2 Mutation.

BACKGROUND

The G2019S- gene mutation is a common cause of hereditary Parkinson's disease (PD), associated with a higher frequency of the postural instability gait difficulty (PIGD) motor phenotype yet with preserved cognition. This study investigated neurophysiological changes during motor and cognitive tasks in PD patients with and without the mutation.

METHODS

33 iPD patients and 22 patients performed the visual Go/NoGo task (VGNG) during sitting (single-task) and walking (dual-task) while wearing a 64-channel EEG cap. Event-related potentials (ERP) from Fz and Pz, specifically N200 and P300, were extracted and analyzed to quantify brain activity patterns.

RESULTS

The group performed better in the VGNG than the iPD group (grouptask; = 0.05). During Go, the iPD group showed reduced N2 amplitude and prolonged N2 latency during walking, whereas the group showed only shorter latency (grouptask = 0.027). During NoGo, opposite patterns emerged; the iPD group showed reduced N2 and increased P3 amplitudes during walking while the group demonstrated increased N2 and reduced P3 (N2: grouptask, = 0.010, P3: grouptask, = 0.012).

CONCLUSIONS

The group showed efficient early cognitive processes, reflected by N2, resulting in greater neural synchronization and prominent ERPs. These processes are possibly the underlying mechanisms for the observed better cognitive performance as compared to the iPD group. As such, future applications of intelligent medical sensing should be capable of capturing these electrophysiological patterns in order to enhance motor-cognitive functions.