ASSESSMENT OF PROCEDURAL MEMORY IN PARKINSONS-DISEASE

1. Findings in cognitive psychology and neuropsychology have led to co nsider the existence of several mnestic systems. This study focusses o n a now clearly established distinction between the procedural and the declarative memories. 2. The aim of the present study was to try and determine which of the two acquisition steps (learning and automation) is affected by Parkinsonians' mnestic difficulties, and to verify if these difficulties are linked to the skill content (declarative or mot or). 3. To answer these questions, 20 Parkinsonians under treatment un derwent specific tests : the maze test and the arithmetic alphabet tes t. 4. Results show that, by comparison with 20 matched healthy individ uals, the deficiencies observed in Parkinson's disease affect both the declarative and the motor skills. In addition, Parkinsonians suffer d ifficulties in both acquisition steps: learning and automation. 5. The se results could account for the cognitive and motor disturbances obse rved in Parkinson's disease; these abnormalities should be among the p harmacological targets in future.