Changes in 'Parkinson's walk' predict dementia

Conclusion Parkinson's is a neurological disease with characteristic features of tremor, rigidity and slow movements, as well as a variety of other classic symptoms, including Parkinson's dementia. This case-control study demonstrates how measures of both gait (walking) and cognition are, as would be expected, poorer in people newly diagnosed with Parkinson's disease compared with healthy controls. The study also demonstrates that in Parkinson's disease, people with a predominant postural instability and gait disorder (PIGD) unsurprisingly have poorer measures of gait than people with predominant tremor disorder (TD). Though there was little difference in cognitive measures between people with PIGD and TD, in those with PIGD there was a correlation between measures of their gait and cognitive function. This suggests that progressive gait problems may be associated with progressive cognitive decline in people with Parkinson's disease, though the specific biological mechanisms behind this link were not investigated by this study. The researchers now plan to investigate this link further. The researchers also acknowledge several limitations with their study, including the relatively small sample size – involving only around 50 people with each subtype of Parkinson's. This means these are small numbers on which to base firm conclusions about the differences between the two subtypes. There are also other measures the study may not have been able to take into account, includ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Older people Source Type: news