Parkinson's Disease-Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI): A Useful Summary of Update Knowledge

Davide Maria Cammisuli; Salvatore Massimiliano Cammisuli; Jonathan Fusi; Ferdinando Franzoni; Carlo Pruneti

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2019.00303

Parkinson's Disease-Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI): A Useful Summary of Update Knowledge

Front Aging Neurosci. 2019 Nov 8:11:303. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2019.00303. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Davide Maria Cammisuli¹, Salvatore Massimiliano Cammisuli², Jonathan Fusi³, Ferdinando Franzoni³, Carlo Pruneti¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratories of Clinical Psychology, Clinical Psychophysiology and Clinical Neuropsychology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
² School of Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
³ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.

Abstract

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common feature in Parkinson's Disease (PD), even at the time of diagnosis. Some levels of heterogeneity in nature and severity of cognitive impairment and risk of conversion to Parkinson's Disease Dementia (PDD) exist. This brief overview summarized the current understanding of MCI in PD, by considering the following major points: historical development of the clinical entity, evaluation, epidemiology, predictors and outcomes, neuroimaging findings, pathophysiology, treatment, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention. MCI in PD represents a concept in evolution and plays a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the disease mechanisms, with the ultimate goal of building effective strategies to prevent conversion into PDD. Challenges for future research are also discussed.

Keywords: PD-MCI; biomarkers; epidemiology; pathophysiology; treatment.