Key features

• Parkinson's is classified chiefly as a movement disorder, with hallmark symptoms including tremors and shakiness, stiffness, difficulty with walking and muscle control, lack of facial expression and impaired speech.

• Many individuals with Parkinson's develop dementia in later stages of the disease.

Treatment

The FDA has approved rivastigmine (Exelon), a cholinesterase inhibitor, to treat mild-to-moderate dementia associated with Parkinson's disease. Other cholinesterase inhibitors may receive similar approval in the future.

Pathology

Parkinson's is another disease, in addition to dementia with Lewy bodies, in which Lewy bodies are found in the brain. The disease causes extensive loss of certain neurons in a brain region called the substantia nigra. This region also experiences gliosis, or the proliferation of helper cells called astrocytes in areas where neurons once existed.

For your patients and families: Parkinson's Disease Dementia