A comparison of neurocognitive performance in individuals with advanced Parkinson’s disease in Hong Kong and Canada

Over 100,000 Canadians are living with Parkinson’s disease. Difficulties with cognition such as memory, fluency saying words, controlling impulses, and processing visual information are very common. Accurate cognitive assessment is critical and directly affects key decisions about the patient’s eligibility for medical and surgical care. However, a problem is that most cognitive tests are developed by and for people from Western cultures who speak English as their first language. The issue is deeper than simple translation, because the content may also be biased towards the Western cultural context (e.g. education, language, societal values). Therefore, my plan is to compare cognitive test scores in patients with Parkinson’s disease at the Prince of Wales Hospital (Hong Kong, China) and the Foothills Medical Centre (Calgary, Canada). Findings from the project will contribute to a better understanding of how culture is related to cognitive performance, so that Chinese patients with Parkinson’s disease and other ethnic minorities who have low acculturation to Canada are not at a disadvantage.

Faculty Supervisor:

Keith Yeates;Angela Haffenden

Student:

Partner:

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Calgary

Program: