Cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease

Toru Baba

Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Sendai-Nishitaga Hospital

Cognitive impairment is a common nonmotor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD).　Cognitive function is generally preserved in the early stages of PD.　However, PD patients often show progressive cognitive decline, and a large portion of PD patients eventually develop dementia in the advanced stages.　The mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in PD are multifactorial and cholinergic dysfunction plays pivotal role.　Recently, it has become possible to measure the volume of the human cholinergic nucleus, and this technique has been increasingly applied in PD research.　Here, we review the current state of knowledge on cognitive dysfunction in PD and its association with cholinergic system dysfunction.

Address correspondence to Dr. Toru Baba, Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Sendai-Nishitaga Hospital （2-11-11 Kagitorihoncho, Taihaku-ku, Sendai 982-8555, Japan）