Beyond motor: a systematic review of multisensory integration deficits in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is primarily characterized by motor symptoms, but non-motor issues, including sensory, perceptual, and cognitive impairment, common, significantly impacting daily functioning. Multisensory integration (MSI), the brain's ability to combine sensory information, is crucial for effective navigation and interaction with the world....

Audiologists seeing patients with Parkinson's disease should be aware that auditory processing difficulties may reflect broader multisensory integration deficits rather than peripheral hearing loss alone; no immediate change to audiological testing protocols is warranted, but results support holistic, multidisciplinary assessment.

Recognizing auditory and multisensory processing problems as core non-motor features of Parkinson's disease could lead to earlier sensory screening and better-targeted rehabilitation for a large and growing patient population.

1. 01Systematic review confirms that multisensory integration deficits are prevalent non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.
2. 02Auditory processing is among the sensory domains affected, alongside visual and tactile systems.
3. 03These deficits may be independent of or compounded by peripheral hearing loss.
4. 04Findings suggest need for sensory screening beyond motor assessment in Parkinson's care.
5. 05No single intervention is recommended by the review; evidence quality across included studies varies.

PMID

42213165

DOI

10.1007/s00702-026-03184-2.

Journal

Journal of Neural Transmission

Publication type

systematic_review

Evidence level

2a

Population

Individuals with Parkinson's disease across included studies examining multisensory integration

Intervention

Systematic review of multisensory integration (including auditory) deficits in Parkinson's disease

Comparator

Healthy controls (across included studies)