Dataset for: Deficits in or preservation of basic number processing in Parkinson's Disease

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s Disease (PD) have a huge impact on patients, caregivers, and the health care system. Until now, diagnosis of mild cognitive impairments in PD has been established based on domain-general functions such as executive functions, attention or working memory. However, specific numerical deficits observed in clinical practice have not yet been systematically investigated. PD-immanent deterioration of domain-general functions and domain-specific numerical areas suggests mechanisms of both primary and secondary dyscalculia. The current study systematically investigated basic number processing performance in PD patients for the first time, targeting domain-specific cognitive representations of numerosity and the influence of domain-general factors. The overall sample consisted of patients with a diagnosis of PD, according to consensus guidelines, and healthy controls. PD patients were stratified into patients with normal cognition (PD-NC) or mild cognitive impairment (level I-PD-MCI based on cognitive screening). Basic number processing was assessed using transcoding, number line estimation, and (non-) symbolic number magnitude comparison tasks. Discriminant analysis was employed to assess whether basic number processing tasks can differentiate between a healthy control group and both PD groups. All participants were subjected to a comprehensive numerical and a neuropsychological test battery, as well as sociodemographic and clinical measures. Results indicate a profile of preserved (verbal representation) and impaired (magnitude representation, place × value activation) function in PD-MCI, hinting at basal ganglia dysfunction affecting numerical cognition in PD. Numerical deficits could not be explained by domain-general cognitive impairments, so that future research needs to incorporate domain-specific tasks of sufficient difficulty.

以帕金森病（Parkinson’s Disease, PD）为代表的神经退行性疾病，对患者、照护者及医疗保健系统均造成沉重负担。迄今为止，帕金森病轻度认知障碍的诊断主要基于执行功能、注意力或工作记忆等领域一般性认知功能进行判定。然而，临床实践中观察到的特异性数值认知缺陷，尚未得到系统研究。帕金森病固有存在的领域一般性认知功能与领域特异性数值加工脑区的退化，提示原发性与继发性失算症（dyscalculia）的共同发病机制。本研究首次针对帕金森病患者的基础数值加工表现展开系统探究，聚焦于数量的领域特异性认知表征以及领域一般性因素的影响作用。本研究的总样本纳入符合共识指南诊断标准的帕金森病患者与健康对照人群。帕金森病患者进一步被分为认知正常亚组（PD-NC）以及基于认知筛查判定的I级帕金森病轻度认知障碍亚组（level I-PD-MCI）。基础数值加工能力通过数字转码（transcoding）、数字线段估计（number line estimation）以及（非）符号化数值大小比较任务进行评估。本研究采用判别分析，探究基础数值加工任务能否区分健康对照人群与两个帕金森病亚组。所有受试者均接受了全面的数值认知测验与神经心理测验组合（neuropsychological test battery），并完成社会人口学问卷及临床指标评估。研究结果显示，帕金森病轻度认知障碍亚组（PD-MCI）呈现出言语表征功能保留、数量表征与位值激活功能受损的特征，提示基底神经节（basal ganglia）功能异常影响了帕金森病患者的数值认知能力。数值认知缺陷无法通过领域一般性认知功能受损来解释，因此未来研究需纳入具备足够难度的领域特异性数值加工任务。