Five FACTS About Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s Dementia

By Stefanie Wardlow, Senior Program Manager, Quality Initiatives, Florida Gulf Coast Chapter; Research Champion, Florida

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system that occurs when certain brain cells deteriorate. Under normal conditions, these cells produce a substance called dopamine, which helps control muscle activity. However, when someone has Parkinson’s, these cells do not produce enough dopamine, impacting movement. 

As Parkinson’s progresses, it sometimes results in dementia. A person with Parkinson’s disease dementia experiences changes in mental functions, including memory and the ability to pay attention, make sound judgments and plan the steps needed to complete a task. This is secondary to the accumulation of Lewy bodies in the brain (similar to dementia with Lewy bodies) or the accumulation of beta-amyloid clumps and tau tangles (similar to Alzheimer’s). Since, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s affect different proteins in the brain, it is possible for a person with Parkinson’s to also have Alzheimer’s. When evidence of more than one type of dementia is found in the brain, it is called mixed dementia. 

“There is so much overlap between the two diseases that understanding one can help us understand the other,” said Rebecca Gilbert, MD, Ph.D., chief mission officer at the American Parkinson Disease Association. “Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. In the U.S., someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every 6 minutes. As people age, they can have changes related to both Parkinson’s disease as well as Alzheimer’s disease in the brain.” 

Five facts: 

1. Symptoms differ from person to person. They can include tremors, stiffness in limbs and joints, speech difficulties, difficulty initiating physical movement and late in the course of the disease, some people develop dementia; conversely, some people with dementia develop symptoms of Parkinson’s.
2. Lewy bodies are found in Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s dementia. The key brain changes linked to Parkinson’s and Parkinson’s dementia are abnormal microscopic deposits composed chiefly of Alpha-synuclein, a protein found widely in the brain whose normal function is not fully understood. These deposits, “Lewy bodies” are named after Frederick H. Lewy, M.D., the neurologist who discovered them while working in Dr. Alois Alzheimer’s laboratory during the early 1900s.
3. There is no standard treatment. Currently symptoms drive treatment. Treatments include medication and surgical therapy. Other treatments include lifestyle modifications, like getting more rest and exercise.
4. Parkinson’s risk increases with age. Though younger onset (people younger than 50 years of age) does happen, the majority of people with the disease are over 50 years of age. Currently, nearly one million Americans are living with Parkinson’s. This is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. 
5. Certain factors at the time of Parkinson’s diagnosis may increase future dementia risk. This includes advanced age, greater severity of motor symptoms and mild cognitive impairment. Among individuals with normal cognition at  diagnosis, about 30% will develop Mild Cognitive Impairment after five years. Some studies have reported that the average time from onset of Parkinson’s to developing dementia is about 10 years. One large study found that about three-quarters of people who live with Parkinson’s for more than 10 years will develop dementia.
   

Learn more in a no-cost webinar, The Relationship Between Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, on Thursday, February 1, 2024, at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT for. Listen in while special guests Rebecca Gilbert, M.D., Ph.D., from the American Parkinson Disease Association and Claire Sexton, DPhil,. from the Alzheimer’s Association, unravel these diseases and connected brain disorders such as Lewy body dementia. Learn how they impact the brain and body. Gain resources and a better understanding on how science will be approaching brain disorders in the future. A question-and-answer session will follow. Register today.