Dementia Japan30:213-222, 2016

Early detection of cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson's disease

Kenichi Kashihara

Department of Neurology, Okayama Kyokuto Hospital

Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) complicate cognitive impairment, frequently.  Patient with PD accompanied by dementia (PDD) is characterized by impairment in attention, memory, executive and visuo-spatial functions, and behavioral symptoms such as affective changes, hallucinations, apathy, and excessive daytime sleepiness.  Cognitive impairment spoils the quality of life (QOL) in PD patient as well as those of their caregivers.  Early detection of the impairment is important to prevent its worsening and improve the QOL of PD patients and families.  Cognitive screening by psychometry is important for the optimal management of PD patients.  MoCA, ACE-R, and FAB appear more sensitive than MMSE to detect mild cognitive impairment in PD.  Developing techniques for neuroimaging and other biomarkers also are available to evaluate the underlying changes in central nervous system responsible for cognitive decline.

Address correspondence to Dr. Kenichi Kashihara, Department of Neurology, Okayama Kyokuto Hospital(567-1 Kurata, Naka-ku, Okayama 703-8265, Japan)