Cerebral atrophy in Parkinson's disease with and without dementia: a comparison with Alzheimer's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and controls

Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder primarily characterized by rigidity, tremor and bradykinesia. Cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms are frequent in Parkinson's disease, with a 70% cumulative incidence of dementia. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to establish the pattern of cerebral atrophy on MRI in Parkinson's disease patients with dementia. We used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to provide an unbiased means of investigating brain volume loss. Whole brain structural T1-weighted MRI scans from Parkinson's disease patients with dementia (PDD, n = 26), Parkinson's disease patients without dementia (n = 31), Alzheimer's disease patients (n = 28), patients with…

• MR
  Medical Research Council