Investigating the relationship between impulsivity and executive function in Parkinson’s disease, and healthy older and younger participants: A quantitative database and real-world study.

Wilson, Harriet (2017) Investigating the relationship between impulsivity and executive function in Parkinson’s disease, and healthy older and younger participants: A quantitative database and real-world study. Manchester Metropolitan University. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Executive function (EF) in this study will be explored in older healthy controls and Parkinson’s Disease patients, with regards to working memory (WM) in younger healthy controls. Past literature suggests a lack of understanding between EF, WM and impulsivity despite vast research that shows the relationship between these concepts are related to a multitude of negative behaviours such as substance abuse (Moeller et al., 2004), addiction (Zhou et al., 2014; 2016), and the development of impulsive-compulsive disorders (ICDs) in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s (Foster et al., 2013).The present study intends to build on previous literature by investigating the relationship between the two variables in 102 younger healthy controls, 196 older healthy controls, and 498 PD patients. Correlation analyses supported literature that suggests impulsivity is higher in younger participants and that the relationship between impulsivity and EF is different across age groups; however, previous assumptions that PD patients who have not yet begun medication will be less impulsive than age-matched controls and therefore exhibit an altered relationship between their EF scores were not met. Future research should expand on data using unmedicated PD patients to better understand the relationship between impulsivity and EF, and the development of ICDs.