Cortical Implications of Advancing Age and Disease Duration in Parkinson's Disease Patients with Postural Instability and Gait Dysfunction.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Parkinson's Disease patients with predominant gait dysfunction appear to have reduced cortical thickness compared to other motor phenotypes. The extent to which advancing age or disease duration impact the pattern of these distinctions is unclear.

Objective

We examine if PD patients with predominant signs of postural instability and gait dysfunction are distinguished by distinct patterns of cerebral atrophy, and how these differences are influenced by age and disease duration.

Methods

The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Score (UPDRS) was administered to 196 PD patients (age = 61.4±8.9yrs) in the Off and On dopamine state. All completed a structural T1-weighted brain MRI. We defined 3 motor phenotypes: tremor dominant, akinetic-rigid, and postural instabi

SUBMITTER: Herb JN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5826542 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature