Cognitive and SPECT characteristics predict progression of Parkinson's disease in newly diagnosed patients.

Objective: To identify features in cognitive functioning and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and to determine whether these factors are able to predict the progression of the disease in general and the development of cognitive decline in particular.

Methods: 50 previously treatment-naive PD patients participated in the study. Cognitive assessment and SPECT were performed twice: at the time of diagnosis and then 3 years later.