Development of Cognitive Assessment Tools in Parkinson Disease

General Design and Methods The overall goal of this proposal is to validate ANAM-PD as an assessment tool for cognitive status in PD. We propose a comprehensive strategy to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of ANAM-PD in detecting cognitive changes in patients with a diagnosis of PD (n=50) and healthy controls (n=25). The specific testing domains of the ANAM-PD battery will be validated against standardized neuropsychological testing, described in detail below. The reliability of the ANAM-PD battery will be evaluated through a test-retest procedure in a subset of 50 subjects (25 PD and 25 HC). This strategy will enable us to evaluate the individual domains of the ANAM-PD computerized cognitive test and establish a battery as a standard test to efficiently measure cognitive changes in PD. We also propose to explore functional neuroimaging of the cholinergic system using [123I] IBVM and SPECT, a marker of vesicular acetylcholine transporter and a measure of the integrity of the cholinergic neuronal system. Identifying and validating ANAM-PD as an efficient tool for assessing cognitive changes in PD and exploring the cholinergic transporter system in PD through functional neuroimaging could predict sub-sets of PD patients 'at risk' for developing dementia and help elucidate the neurochemistry related to cognitive decline in PD

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

PD subjects

Inclusion criteria

• The participant is 30 years or older.
• Written informed consent is obtained.
• Participants have a clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease based on Brain Bank Criteria.
• Mini-mental status examination (MMSE) score ≥24 or significant cognitive dysfunction based clinical mental status exam.
• Geriatric Depression Scales (GDS) ≤ 10.
• For females, non-child bearing potential a negative urine or serum pregnancy test on day of 123-I IBVM injection.

Exclusion criteria

• The subject has a clinically significant abnormal laboratory value and/or clinically significant unstable medical or psychiatric illness
• The subject has any disorder that may interfere with drug absorption distribution, metabolism, or excretion (including gastrointestinal surgery).
• Pregnancy

Healthy Control Subjects

Inclusion criteria

• The participant is 50 years or older.
• Written informed consent is obtained.
• Negative history of neurological or psychiatric illness based on evaluation by a research physician.
• Mini-Mental Status Exam score ≥28.
• For females, non-child bearing potential a negative urine or serum pregnancy test on day of 123-I IBVM injection.

Exclusion criteria

• The subject has a clinically significant abnormal laboratory value and/or clinically significant unstable medical or psychiatric illness.
• The subject has any disorder that may interfere with drug absorption distribution, metabolism, or excretion (including gastrointestinal surgery).
• The subject has received an investigational drug within 60 days before the screening visit.