Divergent Thinking in Atypical Parkinsonism

Creativity is strongly dependent on divergent thinking and divergent thinking appears to be strongly linked to frontal lobe function. Since Parkinson's disease (PD) depends also on a dysfunction of the frontal lobe, with this research we aim to investigate if a change in the divergent thinking of patients with this diagnosis can be observe. Moreover, since the atypical parkinsonism is a group of neurodegenerative diseases involving the combination of parkinsonian symptoms and other neurological signs, we would make a comparison between atypical parkinsonism (PKS) and PD cognitive and creative level. An appropriate battery of neuropsychological tests was given to 13 patients with idiopathic PD, to 13 multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients, to 13 patients with progressive sopranuclear palsy (PSP) and 13 normal control subjects (HC). An exploratory survey on 4 corticobasal degeneration (CBD) was conducted too. The Abbreviated Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking for Adults (ATTA), a known test assessing creativity along the dimensions of fluency, flexibility, originality and elaboration was used to examine divergent thinking. Nobody of the subjects plays a creative work. Comparing all the data we found that creative PSP level is lower then other groups. Instead, the creative PD and HC level are similar. The result seems to confirm the central role of frontal lobes in creativity. In particular, we hypotesize the involvement of dopaminergic midbrain circuits and limbic system while the role of dopaminergic treatment remains doubtful.