Pseudobulbar Affect Correlates with Mood Symptoms and Low Quality of Life in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Comprehensive Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: Despite being recognized for a long time as a characteristic of Parkinson's disease (PD), pseudobulbar affect (PBA) is still a symptom that is underdiagnosed and undertreated. This study aimed to assess the association between PBA and various mood disturbances, as well as the impact on quality of life in PD patients.

Methods: Sixty-eight patients with PD were enrolled in this study. Their demographic and clinical features, including age, gender, education, smoking, lateralization and duration of the disease, and comorbidity, were recorded. The scores on the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn-Yahr Scale, The Mental Component Summary (MCS-12), the Physical Component Summary (PCS-12), The Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and Beck Depression Inventory were evaluated. The Center for Neurologic Study-Lability Scale (CNS-LS) was used to explore PBA.

Results: There were 12 patients (17%) with CNS-LS scores of ≥13, and 4 patients (5%) with CNS-LS scores of ≥4. BDI scores demonstrated a strong positive correlation with CNS-LS scores (Spearman correlation coefficient=0.64, p<0.001), and MCS-12 scores showed a significant negative correlation with CNS-LS scores (Spearman correlation coefficient=-0.70, p<0.001). The multivariate linear regression analysis showed that lower MCS-12 scores are related to higher CNS-LS scores, and higher BDI scores are also linked to higher CNS-LS scores.

Conclusion: Our results indicate that elevated depressive symptoms correspond with increased CNS-LS scores, while a lower quality of mental health is also linked to higher CNS-LS scores. These findings highlight the influence of mood and mental health status on PDA among patients with PD.