Cognitive deficits in Parkinsonism

Asymmetrical cognitive deterioration in demented and Parkinson patients

Patients with Parkinson's disease and patients with dementia showed greater deterioration on functions attributed to the right cerebral hemisphere, than on functions attributed to the left. Relative to matched controls, Parkinson patients were significantly impaired on right hemisphere tests, but did not differ on left hemisphere tests. Demented patients were significantly deficient on all tests, but right decline was greater than left. Ninety-six patients were tested: 32 diagnosed as senile or presenile dementia, 32 Parkinson patients, and 32 non-neurological patients matched for age, sex and education. Functional performance was assessed by a battery of validated tests for left and right hemisphere cognitive functions. Patients were defined with two scores based on the results of the test: Cognitive Laterally Quotient (CLQ) reflecting the averaged performance on the left hemisphere tests, subtracted from the average performance on right hemisphere tests, and Cognitive Performance Quotient (CPQ), reflecting the total level of performance of both hemispheres. These measures defined a characteristic cognitive profile for each group.

Patient privacy and the media

There can be no doubt that a tremendous amount of information is collected within the lifetime of all health care consumers, and today, people who are admitted to hospitals are seeking greater assurances that their relationship with the hospital and the physician is one of confidence and trust.

With the vast amount of personal information collected by hospitals and federal or state agencies, the effort to protect privacy has been gaining great momentum. Although Hippocrates attempted to address the issue within the ethical sphere of medicine, the legal right was first conceptually argued by U.S. Supreme Court Justices Louis Brandeis and Samuel Warren in an 1890 HARVARD LAW REVIEW article. The so called “right to privacy,” while not found directly in the Constitution, has served as the basis for numerous privacy decisions by the high court since that time.