The Tower of Hanoi for Evaluating Dysexecutive Syndrome in Patients with Parkinson’s: Standardization Values

Belén  Calero; Maite  Serrano; Marcos  Serrano-Dueñas

doi:10.4236/apd.2017.63008

Marcos Serrano-Dueñas^1,2, Belén Calero¹, Maite Serrano¹

Abstract:

Objective: The Tower of Hanoi measures executive functions using non-verbal content and requires perception of position in space. The main objective of this study is to standardize the use of the TOH as a measurement tool in Parkinson’s disease. Patients and Methods: Of the Control Group subjects, 192 (59.6%) were women, 223 subjects (69.25%) were able to perform the TOH with 3 discs. In the Parkinson’s Group, there were 57 women (39.3%), and 66 subjects (45.5%) did not get past that level. Results: If we take the TOH (with 3 or 4 discs) as a tool for discriminating between those who have dysexecutive syndrome and those who do not, we find that the Parkinson’s Group presents dysexecutive syndrome significantly more frequently than the Control Group (p ≤ 0.0064). Conclusion: We can conclude that dysexecutive syndrome is frequent in Parkinson’s patients and it is more prevalent than in the general population.

Keywords: Parkinson’s Disease, Dysexecutive Syndrome, Tower of Hanoi

Cite this paper: Serrano-Dueñas, M. , Calero, B. and Serrano, M. (2017) The Tower of Hanoi for Evaluating Dysexecutive Syndrome in Patients with Parkinson’s: Standardization Values. Advances in Parkinson's Disease, 6, 75-85. doi: 10.4236/apd.2017.63008.

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