Association between vestibulo-ocular reflex and cognitive function in de novo Parkinson’s disease

Decreased VOR gain in at least one canal was observed in 22 patients (17.3%). Horizontal canal (HC) gain was positively associated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (p=0.040), anterior canal (AC) gain had negative association with the base of support (p=0.018). Patterns of association between VOR gains and neuropsychological measures differed between PD-NC and PD-MCI. In addition, VOR-cognition relationships were canal-specific: HC gain was positively related to visuospatial function, whereas AC and posterior canal gains were negatively related to language and frontal-executive functions. DAT uptake in the locus coeruleus was positively correlated with HC gain (p=0.020). Conclusion: VOR integrity is associated with cognitive and gait function in patients with PD. Video-HITs may serve as a potential biomarker for disease monitoring in PD.