Findings from an observational study published in Neurology demonstrated that weight loss that occurred soon after a diagnosis of Parkinsons disease (PD) was associated with a quicker decrease in both executive function and general cognitive performance.

In the Parkinsons Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), an ongoing multicenter biomarker investigation, 358 patients were observed by researchers for up to 8 years. 44% of the cohort was still enrolled in the trial after 8 years. The participants were divided into three groups: weight-loss, weight-maintenance, and weight-gain groups.

Annual evaluations of neuropsychiatric, sleep-related, and autonomic symptoms were given to participants, along with more frequent assessments in the first few years following diagnosis. These exams included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and in-depth neuropsychological testing.

Researchers observed that the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores dropped more quickly in Parkinsons patients who lost more than 3% of their body weight in the first year following diagnosis than in those who maintained their weight. Similarly, early weight loss was associated with a faster fall in test results for both phonemic and semantic fluency.

The researchers also examined the 174 Parkinsons-free controls, and no correlation between longitudinal changes in cognition and weight changes in these healthy older persons was seen.

Early weight change was found to have a cognitive-specific effect on non-motor symptoms. Early weight gain was linked to a slower progression of reduced processing speed and attention. In contrast, early weight loss was linked to a quicker decline in global cognitive function and executive function in PD patients.

(Source: https://www.medpagetoday.com/neurology/parkinsonsdisease/101353)