Cognitive improvement during Tolcapone treatment in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Tolcapone, a reversible, selective inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase, on the cognitive functions of eight patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. They underwent neuropsychological and motor assessment at baseline and were reevaluated after 6 months. During this period, they received Tolcapone three times daily, while the L-dopa dosage was progressively reduced. Significant improvements were observed in the attentional task, auditory verbal short-term memory, visuo-spatial recall, constructional praxia and motor symptoms. These data suggest that treatment with Tolcapone, in combination with L-dopa therapy, may determine a significant improvement in cognitive resources of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.