Takeaway
In a study of individuals with multiple system atrophy (MSA), apathy increased over long-term follow-up overall, while those with the parkinsonian subtype (MSA-P) had wide ranging worsening of cognitive function and those with the cerebellar subtype (MSA-C) showed a decline in processing speed.
Why this matters
Cognitive and neuropsychological manifestations of MSA evolve over the course of the disease, suggesting the importance of continued evaluation of cognitive and psychiatric features in clinical practice.