Attentional functions in multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease

Objective-To assess cognitive performances of patients with striatonigral degeneration type multiple system atrophy compared with those of patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods-The cognitive performances of a group of patients with multiple system atrophy of the striatonigral type were compared with those of matched patients with Parkinson's disease and controls, using tests sensitive to frontal lobe dysfunction. Results-The multiple system atrophy group, when compared with the Parkinson's disease group, showed significant deficits in attention tasks, particularly in the Stroop test. Conclusion-There was a consistently greater impairment in attention resources in patients with multiple system atrophy than in patients with Parkinson's disease.