Publication details
Pathology of Vessels Supplying the Brain in Patients with Parkinson's Disease
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2011 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Movement Disorders |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mds.23444 |
| Field | Neurology, neurosurgery, neurosciences |
| Keywords | Parkinson's Disease; Pathology of Vessels |
| Description | We have read with interest the study by Santangelo et al.,1 reporting the role of vascular pathology in the neuropsychological profile of parkinsonian patients. The authors evaluated whether the brain's vascular lesion load is associated with neuropsychological variables. They compared the neuropsychological profile of patients affected by Parkinsonism and vascular lesions to that of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) without vascular lesions. The conclusion was that “regardless of the presence of dopaminergic denervation, cerebrovascular lesions … have an important effect in determining early onset and severity of cognitive impairment in patients with parkinsonism”. We agree with the authors that a comorbid cerebrovascular disease (CVD) may have an important impact on impairment of cognitive functions in patients with PD. In this aspect, the PD patients are not fundamentally different from patients without Parkinsonism. |