Parkinson's disease patients suffering from cognitive impairment are affected by atrophy in the
hippocampus, new research from the University of Pennsylvania has revealed.
A study from the institution's Perelman School of Medicine (PSM), published
in the journal Archives of Neurology, used traditional imaging analyses to
discover a connection between atrophy and cognitive impairment.
Scans of Parkinson's disease patients were then analysed with normal
cognition or dementia.
Daniel Weintraub, associate professor of geriatric psychiatry at the PSM and
the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, explained: "We can see a
pattern of diffuse gray matter and white matter atrophy in the brains of
Parkinson's patients with cognitive decline."
The news comes in the same week that Parkinson's UK announced it is funding
research that could lead to the development of smartphone applications to
tackle speech problems suffered by many people with the disease.
Dr Roger Eglin of the University of Portsmouth has been given a grant of
£35,000 to help finance the 12-month project.
© Adfero Ltd
Private treatment news: 13 December 2011
