Study looks for state of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's that can potentially impact treatment options for delaying development of dementia

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – There is an intermediate stage in patients with Parkinson's disease that may be predictive of eventual dementia, according to a study conducted by Mayo Clinic, Sun Health Research Institute (SHRI) and the Arizona Parkinson's Disease Consortium.

The collaborators examined how patients with Parkinson's disease may transition to an immediate state of cognitive problems before developing dementia. Dementia can be a complication associated with Parkinson's in about 30-40 percent of patients and is a leading cause of nursing home placement in this population.

In the study, led by J.N. Caviness, M.D., professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic, subjects underwent testing for problems with memory, executive function (planning and abstract thinking ability), attention, language and visuospatial function (determining spatial relationships among objects). It was found that 22 percent of subjects had significant cognitive problems in one or two areas, but not severe enough to be diagnosed with dementia. By using set criteria, such subjects could thus be identified as having "mild cognitive impairment."

According to Caviness, "The value in identifying such a state of mild cognitive impairment is that this intermediate stage could provide clues about how cognitive ability can deteriorate in Parkinson's disease."

The next step in the study, whose formal name is Defining Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease, is to examine the mild cognitive impairment state through various techniques, including imaging, physiology of brain waves, genomics and metabolic markers.

"Understanding this intermediate state of cognitive impairment could help in finding treatments for cognitive problems in Parkinson's," added Caviness. The study is featured in the July 15, 2007, edition of the journal, Movement Disorders.

The participants enrolled in the study are part of the SHRI Brain and Body Donation Program, in which subjects donate their bodies at time of death to foster advances in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The subjects, who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease, undergo annual physical and mental assessments in an effort to create a detailed neuropsychological history prior to donation.

Parkinson's disease is a common neurological disorder that manifests tremor, slowness and coordination problems. In some cases, patients develop disability and even dementia. When cognitive problems are added to the motor problems associated with Parkinson's, the patient is even further disabled.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated, not-for-profit group practice in the world. As a leading academic medical center in the Southwest, Mayo Clinic focuses on providing specialty and surgical care in more than 65 disciplines at its outpatient facility in north Scottsdale and at Mayo Clinic Hospital. The 208-licensed bed hospital is located at 56th Street and Mayo Boulevard (north of Bell Road) in northeast Phoenix, and provides inpatient care to support the medical and surgical specialties of the clinic, which is located at 134th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale.

About the Arizona Parkinson's Disease Consortium

A premier research network, the Arizona Parkinson's Disease Consortium (APDC) directs intensive efforts to finding new treatment modalities that will increase survival and quality of life for people with Parkinson's disease (PD). The APDC focuses research on investigation into the causes and diagnosis of PD and dementia in PD, as well as formulation of cures and new treatments, including drug discovery and development, that may ultimately lead to prevention, better treatments and a cure for the disease.

About Sun Health Research Institute

In just 21 years of cutting-edge, intensive investigation, the scientists at Sun Health Research Institute (SHRI) in greater Phoenix, have earned an international reputation for discovery leading to potential treatments for some of the most devastating age-related diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases. SHRI's Brain and Body Donation Program is integral in the search for answers both locally and world-wide.

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