INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 08 Program Schedule 02/16/2024 01:45 pm - 03:00 pm Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60) Poster Session 08: Cognition \| Cognitive Reserve Variables Final Abstract #54 The Effect of Smoking Cigarettes on the Cognitive Functioning of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease Emery Oneale, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, United States Steven Rogers, Ph.D., Westmont College, Santa Barbara, United States Category: Movement and Movement Disorders Keyword 1: cognitive functioning Keyword 2: stimulants Objective: Smoking cigarettes has been associated with a reduced risk for the development of Parkinson’s disease and many of its motor symptoms. However, little has been done to examine the impact of cigarettes on the cognitive functions affected by Parkinson's. This study explores the effect of smoking cigarettes on the cognitive abilities of those with Parkinson’s disease. Participants and Methods: A total of 141 patients (44 women, M age = 74.19, M education = 15.42) diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) participated in comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Forty-eight percent endorsed a history of smoking, with an average of 21 years of smoking. Participants completed measures of attention (WAIS-IV Digit Span), processing speed (WAIS-IV Coding, DKEFS Color Naming & Word Reading, Trails A), frontal-executive functioning (Trails B, DKEFS Inhibition, WAIS-IV Similarities, Arithmetic, & Letter-Number Sequencing), visuospatial function (ROCF Copy, WAIS-IV Block Design & Picture Completion), language (FAS, BNT), and verbal (WMS-IV Logical Memory, HVLT-R) and nonverbal memory (BVMT-R, ROCF 3’ & 30’). Results: T-test analyses showed that PD patients with a history of smoking performed significantly better on WMS-IV Logical Memory II, t(125) = 2.14, p < .04, HVLT-R Delayed Recall, t(118) = 2.09, p < .04, and FAS, t(136) = 2.02, p < .05 than patients without a history of smoking. No differences in cognition emerged according to the amount smoked, but bivariate correlation analyses showed a significantly negative association between length of smoking history and performance of PD patients on MoCA, r(53) = -.34, p < .02, WAIS-IV Arithmetic, Digit Span, Block Design, Picture Completion, and Similarities rs(50-55) = < - .30, ps < .04, DKEFS Color Naming and Word Reading rs(51-53) = - .29, ps < .04, ROCF 3’ and 30’ Delay, rs(40-48) = < - .30, ps < .05, FAS, r(55) = -.31, p < .03, and Trails B, r(53) = -.35, p < .02. Conclusions: This suggests that a history of smoking may have a positive impact on the verbal delayed recall and phonemic fluency of those with PD, likely related to the alteration of dopamine activity caused by nicotine. However, a longer history of smoking seems to have a deleterious influence on patients’ performance in several other domains, including gross cognitive functioning, simple attention, visuospatial functioning, verbal processing speed, nonverbal learning and memory, and select aspects of frontal-executive functioning. This suggests a ceiling benefit to the impact of nicotine on dopamine and subsequent cognitive functioning, as those who smoked for a longer period performed more poorly than those who smoked for a shorter duration. These findings may help clinicians appreciate the beneficial effect of dopamine-inducing chemicals on the cognitive functioning of patients with PD. Further research can investigate the interaction between length of smoking history and amount of nicotine intake on the cognitive abilities of PD patients. Research could also examine the progression rate of PD in patients who had a history of smoking cigarettes versus those who did not.

Poster

02/16/2024
01:45 pm - 03:00 pm
Room: Shubert Complex (Posters 1-60)

Poster Session 08: Cognition | Cognitive Reserve Variables

Final Abstract #54

The Effect of Smoking Cigarettes on the Cognitive Functioning of Patients with Parkinson’s Disease

Emery Oneale, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, United States
Steven Rogers, Ph.D., Westmont College, Santa Barbara, United States

Category: Movement and Movement Disorders

Keyword 1: cognitive functioning
Keyword 2: stimulants

Objective:

Smoking cigarettes has been associated with a reduced risk for the development of Parkinson’s disease and many of its motor symptoms. However, little has been done to examine the impact of cigarettes on the cognitive functions affected by Parkinson's. This study explores the effect of smoking cigarettes on the cognitive abilities of those with Parkinson’s disease.

Participants and Methods:

A total of 141 patients (44 women, M age = 74.19, M education = 15.42) diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) participated in comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. Forty-eight percent endorsed a history of smoking, with an average of 21 years of smoking. Participants completed measures of attention (WAIS-IV Digit Span), processing speed (WAIS-IV Coding, DKEFS Color Naming & Word Reading, Trails A), frontal-executive functioning (Trails B, DKEFS Inhibition, WAIS-IV Similarities, Arithmetic, & Letter-Number Sequencing), visuospatial function (ROCF Copy, WAIS-IV Block Design & Picture Completion), language (FAS, BNT), and verbal (WMS-IV Logical Memory, HVLT-R) and nonverbal memory (BVMT-R, ROCF 3’ & 30’).

Results:

T-test analyses showed that PD patients with a history of smoking performed significantly better on WMS-IV Logical Memory II, t(125) = 2.14, p < .04, HVLT-R Delayed Recall, t(118) = 2.09, p < .04, and FAS, t(136) = 2.02, p < .05 than patients without a history of smoking. No differences in cognition emerged according to the amount smoked, but bivariate correlation analyses showed a significantly negative association between length of smoking history and performance of PD patients on MoCA, r(53) = -.34, p < .02, WAIS-IV Arithmetic, Digit Span, Block Design, Picture Completion, and Similarities rs(50-55) = < - .30, ps < .04, DKEFS Color Naming and Word Reading rs(51-53) = - .29, ps < .04, ROCF 3’ and 30’ Delay, rs(40-48) = < - .30, ps < .05, FAS, r(55) = -.31, p < .03, and Trails B, r(53) = -.35, p < .02.

Conclusions:

This suggests that a history of smoking may have a positive impact on the verbal delayed recall and phonemic fluency of those with PD, likely related to the alteration of dopamine activity caused by nicotine. However, a longer history of smoking seems to have a deleterious influence on patients’ performance in several other domains, including gross cognitive functioning, simple attention, visuospatial functioning, verbal processing speed, nonverbal learning and memory, and select aspects of frontal-executive functioning. This suggests a ceiling benefit to the impact of nicotine on dopamine and subsequent cognitive functioning, as those who smoked for a longer period performed more poorly than those who smoked for a shorter duration. These findings may help clinicians appreciate the beneficial effect of dopamine-inducing chemicals on the cognitive functioning of patients with PD. Further research can investigate the interaction between length of smoking history and amount of nicotine intake on the cognitive abilities of PD patients. Research could also examine the progression rate of PD in patients who had a history of smoking cigarettes versus those who did not.