The experimental use of the Olomouc test of figural fluency on people with Parkinson´s disease

Abstract

OF THESIS Title: The experimental use of the Olomouc test of figural fluency on people with Parkinson ́s disease Author: Bc. Alena Háková Supervisor: doc. Martin Lečbych, PhD. Number of pages and characters: 105 / 170 118 Number of appendices: 7 Number of references: 56 Abstract: The performance of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) on cognitive tests interferes with the level of patients’ motor disability. The aim of this research was the experimental use of the Olomouc figural fluency test (OTFF) on individuals with PD. We selected a quantitative methodological framework. A convenience sampling method was used to acquire a research sample of 30 patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease G20 (N=17) and with secondary parkinsonism G21 (N=13). The test battery consisted of a Grafomotor exam, RCFT, FAS Test, Categorical fluency test, OTFF and BDI-II. A correlative analysis has proven a significant correlation between the level of motoric skills and the performance on the OTFF, and between the performance on the OTFF and the performance of other tested methods. An effect of depression on the performances has not been confirmed. Furthermore, the research has not confirmed any differences in performance between group G20 and group G21. The performance on the OTFF was influenced by the age of the proband. Finally, OTFF does not appear to be entirely appropriate as a first choice test in the screening of executive functions in individuals with PD. The performance of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) on cognitive tests interferes with the level of patients’ motor disability. The aim of this research was the experimental use of the Olomouc figural fluency test (OTFF) on individuals with PD. We selected a quantitative methodological framework. A convenience sampling method was used to acquire a research sample of 30 patients with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease G20 (N=17) and with secondary parkinsonism G21 (N=13). The test battery consisted of a Grafomotor exam, RCFT, FAS Test, Categorical fluency test, OTFF and BDI-II. A correlative analysis has proven a significant correlation between the level of motoric skills and the performance on the OTFF, and between the performance on the OTFF and the performance of other tested methods. An effect of depression on the performances has not been confirmed. Furthermore, the research has not confirmed any differences in performance between group G20 and group G21. The performance on the OTFF was influenced by the age of the proband. Finally, OTFF does not appear to be entirely appropriate as a first choice test in the screening of executive functions in individuals with PD.