A comparison of nonmotor symptom profiles in Progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson’s disease

INTRODUCTION: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, gait, balance, speech, and swallowing. Nonmotor symptoms (NMSs) are well recognized in atypical parkinsonism. However, owing to the rarity of these disorders, descriptions of NMSs in atypical parkinsonism remains limited. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of NMSs in PSP and compare it with that in Parkinson’s disease (PD). METHODS: Forty consecutive patients with PSP were recruited over a period of 8 months. NMSs were assessed using the NMS Questionnaire. These patients were compared with 40 age- and gender-matched individuals with PD. RESULTS: In the PSP group, 67.5% of patients were men. The average age of participants was 61.2 ± 6.7 years, with a mean age of symptom onset at 58.4 ± 6.6 years. All patients reported at least one NMS. Falls and somnolence were significantly more prevalent in PSP (p < 0.001), as were sialorrhea (p = 0.002) and dysphagia/dysarthria (p = 0.002). In contrast, vivid dreams were significantly more common in PD (p < 0.001), along with incomplete bowel emptying (p = 0.036). There was no significant difference in the NMS score between patients with PSP (8.4 ± 4.2) and those with PD (7.7 ± 4.3). CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of NMSs varied between PD and PSP. However, there was no overall difference in NMS scores between patients with PD and those with PSP. Further large-scale studies are warranted to investigate the distinct profiles of NMSs in PSP and PD.