Does education modify motor compensation in Parkinson's disease?

BACKGROUND: In Alzheimer's disease, higher educational attainment is associated with fewer cognitive deficits despite similar pathological lesions. In animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD), enhanced levels of cognitive and physical stimulation can reduce motor deficits due to dopaminergic neuronal loss. Therefore, in this study, we tested whether higher educational attainment has a beneficial influence on PD motor symptoms. METHODS: We included data from 182 patients with de novo PD without dementia, who underwent dopamine transporter (DAT) scans for an initial diagnostic work-up. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their educational attainment; high education (HE-PD; ≥12years of education) and low education (LE-PD;