Parkinson's Disease: Cognitive Impairment

Cognitive deficits are important and emerging clinical targets for psychiatrists caring for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disorder commonly accompanied by mood and psychotic disturbances and identified by its progressive motor abnormalities. Over the course of the disease and across all its stages, virtually every individual with PD experiences some degree of cognitive deficit, ranging from mild cognitive impairment to dementia. Across this spectrum, cognitive impairments affect functioning and quality of life, often more than motor aspects of the disease. Advances in treatments for motor deficits in PD now render the clinical significance of cognitive dysfunction more obvious, including its impact on psychiatric presentations and their treatment. Since cognitive dysfunction is underdetected and undertreated in clinical practice, holistic psychiatric care of PD patients warrants appreciation of the clinical presentation, biopsychosocial features, and treatment of cognitive impairment. Future directions for research and clinical care also discussed.