Parkinson disease-associated cognitive impairment
Dag Aarsland1,2, Lucia Batzu3, Glenda M Halliday4
1Department of Old Age Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. dag.aarsland@kcl.ac.uk.
Nature Reviews. Disease Primers
|July 2, 2021
Summary
Parkinson disease (PD) involves cognitive impairment, often affecting executive function and memory. Early identification of risk factors and underlying mechanisms is crucial for developing effective treatments and predicting dementia progression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Neurology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Parkinson disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder impacting over 1% of individuals aged 65 and above.
- Cognitive impairment, including executive, visuospatial, and memory deficits, is a common non-motor symptom in PD, potentially preceding motor symptoms.
- Early cognitive changes in PD increase the risk of dementia progression, influenced by factors like hallucinations, age, and specific biomarker alterations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the mechanisms underlying cognitive decline in Parkinson disease.
- To identify key risk factors associated with early dementia progression in PD patients.
- To evaluate current and emerging therapeutic strategies for cognitive impairment in PD.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease.
- Analysis of risk factors for dementia progression, including clinical and biomarker data.
- Assessment of current treatment options and ongoing research into novel therapies.
Main Results:
- Cognitive decline in PD is multifactorial, involving Lewy body and Alzheimer-type pathologies.
- Biomarkers such as cortical atrophy, Alzheimer-type changes, and EEG variations are linked to accelerated cognitive decline.
- Cholinesterase inhibitors represent the primary evidence-based treatment, with other strategies under investigation.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the mechanisms of cognitive decline in PD is essential for therapeutic development.
- Accurate biomarkers are needed to predict cognitive decline and identify high-risk individuals.
- Further research is required to develop disease-modifying therapies for cognitive impairment in Parkinson disease.
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