Summary
Patients with major depressive disorders show impairments of cognitive abilities and motor performance. Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) also have slower reaction and movement times. Clinically, differential diagnosis between inhibited depression (D) and PD can be difficult. So, psychomotor functions of patients with D, PD and PD + D have been tested using the “Motorische Leistungs-Serie” (MLS) as objective assessment. Standard values of MLS in D were clearly higher than in PD. Furthermore, scores of PD + D were lower than those for PD (without depression). Under treatment an overall improvement of MLS performance in PD and PD + D (except Tapping) as well as in D (except Tapping and parts of line tracing) could be observed. Psychomotor slowing in D can be explained by central motivational deficits. Terminology of bradyphrenia as well as dopaminergic and/or noradrenergic dysfunctions being the possible neurochemical basis of this cognitive deficits are discussed.
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© 1989 Springer-Verlag/Wien
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Laux, G., Kuhn, W., Classen, W. (1989). Psychomotor investigations in depressed patients by comparison with Parkinson patients. In: Przuntek, H., Riederer, P. (eds) Early Diagnosis and Preventive Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease. Key Topics in Brain Research. Springer, Vienna. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-8994-8_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7091-8994-8_7
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