Cognitiv
Cognitive Impairments in Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3
(SCA3) in China
Ruihao Wang1,
Song Tan1, Bo Song1, Jingtao Wang1, Fang Ge2,
Shilei Sun1, Wang Miao1, Jun Wu1, Limei Wang1,
Rui Zhang1, Yuan Gao1, Changhe Shi1, Huixia
Niu1, Hui Fang1, Avinash Chandra1, Yuming Xu1*
1 Department
of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou,
450052, China
2 Department
of Neurology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, 100730, China
* Corresponding author: Prof. Yuming Xu, [email protected]
Abstract: To date there
is very few clinical studies published on the cognitive
characteristics in patients with SCA3 in China, we sought to evaluate the
cognitive function in a cohort of clinically diagnosed and
molecularly confirmed patients with SCA3 in China. The
neuropsychological tests that were used to evaluate the cognitive function consisted
of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clock Drawing Test (CDT),Digit Cancellation Test (DC), Digit Symbol
Substitution Test (DSST), Stroop Color-Word Test (SCWT), Trial-Making Test (TMT), Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), and
Wechsler Intelligence Scale-Digit Span Test (WISC-DST). The psychiatric symptoms
were assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale
(HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). The severity of motor
symptoms was evaluated by the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia
(SARA). 15 patients with genetically confirmed SCA3 and 15 normal control
subjects were enrolled in the study. There was no significant difference
in age, gender or educational level among these 2 groups. CDT, DC, DSST,
SCWT, TMT, VFT were significantly more impaired in patients with SCA3 than
those in the control group. There was no significant difference in the MMSE,
DST, HAMA and HAMD between SCA3 patientsand controls. In conclusion,
our study demonstrates that patients with SCA3 in China present cogintiveimpairments, manifesting mainly as executive
and visuospatial dysfunction. [Ruihao Wang, Song Tan, Bo Song, Jingtao Wang, Fang Ge,
Shilei Sun, Wang Miao, Jun Wu, Limei Wang, Rui Zhang, Yuan Gao, Huixia Niu,
Changhe Shi, Hui Fang, Avinash Chandra, Yuming Xu. Cognitive Impairments in
Patients with Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3 (SCA3) in China. Life
Sci J. 2013;10(1):1655-1659] (ISSN:1097-8135).http://www.lifesciencesite.com.
Key words: spinocerebellar ataxia type 3; cognitive impairments; executive dysfunction; visuospatial dysfunction
