There were 31 subjects (49%) with only basic education (1 - 6 years) 21 subjects (33%) with a medium level of education (7 - 12 years) and 11 subjects (18%) with higher education (≥13 years). Excluded from the study were subjects who had a background of neurological and/or psychiatric illness or were taking psycho-pharmaceuticals at the time of the interview those with significant systemic illness and those who were illiterate.Ī first phase included a pilot study conducted with 63 subjects, of which 29 were men (46%). After that, it will use the TOH to study the presence of DS in Parkinson patients.Īll individuals included in the pilot study were residents of homes for the elderly in the city of Quito (Ecuador), and met the following inclusion criteria: accept participation in the study, and have a score of ≥25 points of the Mini Mental Status Examination (MMSE). It will establish cutoff points for number of attempts, the number of movements, violation of the rules, and the time needed to finish the test. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to standardize (in a normal population) the use of the TOH as a measurement tool. Unfortunately, the implementation of this test varies from author to author, and the criteria used for determining what is normal and what is pathological are diverse.
It is considered particularly suitable for evaluating the executive function of planning. It also requires the execution of a sequence of movements while inhibiting the execution of incorrect movements, as well as monitoring one’s own performance and revising the work plans. It is considered to require the generation of a sequence of movements involving multiple steps, and a selection strategy, while keeping the subordinate objectives and the final objective in working memory. The TOH measures executive functions using non- verbal content and requires perception of position in space. The Hanoi Tower (TOH) is a test used in numerous neuropsychological studies, the satisfactory completion of which requires the cooperation of multiple executive functions. The construct of “impaired executive functioning,” or dysexecutive syndrome (DS), is often used to describe patients who have preserved intelligence and no specific cognitive deficits, but who are incapable of carrying out self-directed adaptive behaviors which are “necessary and appropriate,” socially responsible, and effective. Neuropsychiatric symptoms may range from minor deficits in executive function (EF) to cases of Mild Cognitive Impairment that include alteration of EF, which is a clear predictor of an evolution to dementia in 80% of cases. The symptoms associated with dopaminergic degeneration of the cells of the substantia nigra pars compacta include motor, neuropsychiatric and autonomic symptoms. Parkinson’s disease is a common neurodegenerative illness which affects between 1% and 3% of the population over age 65, with a slight prevalence in men over women.
0 kommentar(er)
