Dementia in Parkinson's disease.
Bradley J Robottom1, William J Weiner
1Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, USA.
International Review of Neurobiology
|June 9, 2009
Summary
Early cognitive changes in Parkinson's disease (PD) may predict future dementia. This review explores Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD), covering its characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Neuroscience
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a leading neurodegenerative disorder in the US.
- Dementia is a common complication of advanced PD.
- Early cognitive changes, particularly executive dysfunction, are observed in PD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if early cognitive changes in PD predict the development of Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD).
- To review the epidemiology, clinical features, pathology, neuroimaging, diagnosis, and treatment of PDD.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cognitive changes in PD.
- Analysis of neuropsychological testing data in early PD.
- Synthesis of information on PDD characteristics distinct from Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Main Results:
- Early executive function impairments in PD are being studied for their predictive value for PDD.
- PDD presents with diverse cognitive deficits, differing from AD.
- Neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequently associated with PDD.
Conclusions:
- Understanding early cognitive changes is crucial for predicting PDD development.
- PDD requires distinct diagnostic and treatment approaches compared to AD.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the relationship between early PD cognition and PDD progression.
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