Dementia Associated with Parkinsons Disease

Abstract

The classical perception of Parkinson's disease (PD) heavily emphasises its motor aspects, cognitive features and dementia associated with the disease being largely ignored. Epidemiological studies performed in the last few decades revealed the substantially high incidence and prevalence of cognitive impairment and dementia in PD. Clinical studies using EpidemiologyDementia associated with PD has been increasingly better recognised, probably because patients with PD survive for longer than before thanks to modern treatment. Although subtle cognitive deficits can be found in newly diagnosed patients with PD, 1 dementia itself is strongly associated with advanced age and severe disease. 2 In population-based, cross-sectional studies the prevalence of dementia has been reported to be 28-41%. A meta-analysis of 12 carefully selected studies revealed a cross-sectional prevalence of close to 30%. 3 The incidence increases up to six-fold and the cumulative incidence over eight years of follow-up was described to be 78%. 4,5 The longitudinal Sydney study revealed that 15 years after the diagnosis 85% of the patients had cognitive impairment, with 50% fulfilling

Assessment of hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease using a novel scale

“…Various kinds of cognitive impairments including visuo-spatial and executive functions as well as memory have been reported in PDD patients (25). MMSE scores of the PDD patients were relatively high in our study.…”

Psychological interventions for people with Parkinson’s disease in the early 2020s: Where do we stand?

“…This leads to disorders of movement which include bradykinesia, muscular rigidity, rest tremor, and postural and gait impairment (Kalia & Lang, 2015). Other difficulties involve affect, sleep, pain, gastrointestinal, and autonomic symptoms (Chaudhuri & Schapira, 2006; Weintraub & Burn, 2011), as well as cognitive deterioration which may ultimately lead to dementia (Emre, 2007; McKeith & Burn, 2000). Motor symptoms usually appear after the age of 50, although younger onset is also possible (Willis, Schootman, Kung, & Racette, 2013).…”

Non-motor symptoms associated with progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease

“…However, the extent to which the loss of dopamine contributes to specific non-motor symptoms is varied and in many cases remains controversial. For instance, while cognitive deficits in the later stages of PD were primarily attributed to cholinergic degeneration and thus resemble the symptoms of dementia associated with Alzheimer’s disease, an impairment of executive functions is reportedly specific to PD and includes deficits in attention, impaired problem solving and action sequencing ( Emre, 2003 ). These symptoms are also reported in PD without dementia ( Fengler et al, 2017 ) and could be plausibly explained by impaired dopamine signaling in the basal ganglia.…”