Multi-modal hallucinations and cognitive function in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Hallucinations have been linked to a constellation of cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD), but it is not known whether multi-modal hallucinations are associated with greater neuropsychological dysfunction. METHODS 152 idiopathic PD patients were categorized based on the presence or absence of hallucinations and then were further subdivided into visual-only (VHonly; n = 35) or multi-modal (VHplus; n = 12) hallucination groups. All participants underwent detailed neuropsychological assessment. RESULTS Participants with hallucinations performed more poorly on select neuropsychological measures and exhibited more mood symptoms. There were no differences between VHonly and VHplus groups. CONCLUSIONS PD patients with multi-modal hallucinations are not at greater risk for neuropsychological impairment than those with single-modal hallucinations.