Are Parkinson's Patients More Vulnerable to the Effects of Cardiovascular Risk: A Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

This study examined whether individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at increased vulnerability for vascular-related cognitive impairment relative to controls. The underlying assumption behind this hypothesis relates to brain reserve and that both PD and vascular risk factors impair similar fronto-executive cognitive systems.

Methods

The sample included 67 PD patients and 61 older controls (total N=128). Participants completed neuropsychological measures of executive functioning, processing speed, verbal delayed recall/memory, language, and auditory attention. Cardiovascular risk was assessed with the Framingham Cardiovascular Risk index. Participants underwent brain imaging (T1 and T2 FLAIR). Trained raters measured total and regional leukoaraiosis (perivent

SUBMITTER: Jones JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5729910 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature