Patients with Parkinsons disease (PD) who develop anxiety early during the disease course have a risk for diminished physical activity, which facilitates further anxiety and cognitive decline, suggests a new study with around 500 individuals.

Investigators identified 487 adults with newly diagnosed PD within the previous 2 years who were a part of the Parkinsons Progression Markers Initiative. The participants were followed for 5 years and were subjected to neuropsychological tests, tests of motor severity, and completed self-reports on anxiety and physical activity. Making use of a direct-effect model, it was noted that people whose anxiety surged during the study period also had cognitive decline. A significant between-person effect revealed that those who were generally more anxious had lower scores on cognitive tests over the study duration. Physical activity was found to mediate the association between anxiety and cognition, particularly household activity. The findings are published in Mental Health and Physical Activity… (Medscape)