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Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease
10:28

Dynamic Digital Biomarkers of Motor and Cognitive Function in Parkinson's Disease

Published on: July 24, 2019

Visual rating of white matter hyperintensities in Parkinson's disease

Mona K Beyer1, Dag Aarsland, Ole Jacob Greve

  • 1Department of Radiology, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway. bemk@sir.no

Movement Disorders : Official Journal of the Movement Disorder Society
|September 15, 2005
PubMed

Insights

White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are linked to dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD). Specifically, deep white matter WMH significantly correlate with cognitive decline in PD patients, suggesting a role in dementia development.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Neuroimaging
  • Cognitive Science

Background:

  • Dementia is a frequent complication of Parkinson's disease (PD).
  • The underlying causes of PD-related dementia are not fully understood.
  • Previous research suggests a link between white matter lesions and dementia in PD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on MRI and dementia in Parkinson's disease patients.
  • To determine if WMH contribute to cognitive impairment in PD.

Main Methods:

  • 35 PD patients (16 with dementia - PDD, 19 without - PDND) and 20 controls underwent cerebral MRI.
  • WMH were assessed using the Scheltens visual rating scale by blinded raters.
  • Statistical analyses included bivariate and multivariate regression models.

Main Results:

  • The PDD group exhibited significantly higher WMH levels in deep white matter and periventricular areas compared to the PDND group.
  • WMH in deep white matter showed a significant association with Mini-Mental State Examination scores.
  • Deep white matter WMH explained 38% of the variance in cognitive scores in multivariate analysis.

Conclusions:

  • White matter hyperintensities, particularly in deep white matter, are associated with dementia in Parkinson's disease.
  • These findings suggest that deep white matter WMH may play a role in the development of dementia in PD.
  • Cerebral MRI assessment of WMH could be valuable in understanding PD-related cognitive decline.

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