#26 Treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Parkinson's disease

03/01/22 • 27 min

In this episode, I discuss the current recommendations for treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment of Parkinson's disease as well as the Dementia of Parkinson's disease. The discussion includes both pharmacological recommendations as well as non-pharmacological recommendations based upon the available medical literature. We discuss the recent publication of the Movement Disorder Society recommendation for treatment of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia of Parkinson's disease.
The Parkinson's Disease Caring Podcast is produced and hosted by Dr. Kevin Klos. Please visit www.pdcaring.com for more resources and information.

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undefined - #25 Understanding Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (Interview with Dr. Keith Josephs, Mayo Clinic Movement Disorder Specialist, Behavioral Disease Specialist, and Research Scientist)

#25 Understanding Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (Interview with Dr. Keith Josephs, Mayo Clinic Movement Disorder Specialist, Behavioral Disease Specialist, and Research Scientist)

My guest interview is Dr. Keith Josephs, Professor of Neurology and Research Scientist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. Josephs is a world expert on Parkinson's disease and related Atypical Parkinson disorders as well as Alzheimer's disease and other dementia illness.
We discuss where Parkinson's disease starts in the peripheral system of the body as well as in the brain. He shares his thoughts about the research looking into the types of pathological changes that happen in the brain causing dementia. We discuss if dementia could be a result of mixed pathological changes such as a mixture of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease or other conditions. He helps us better understand the difference between Lewy body disease and Parkinson's disease dementia.
Dr. Josephs also discusses psychosis, depression, and other non-motor symptoms related to Parkinson's disease. He shares with us some of the current research projects that he is personally working on at the Mayo Clinic. Finally, he shares some of his thoughts about a new treatment recently approved by the FDA for Alzheimer's disease.
After this episode, you will have a much better understanding of what is happening in the brain to cause your loved one to experience changes in cognitive ability due to Parkinson's disease and have hope for the future.

Next Episode

#27 Caring for a Loved One with Cognitive Impairment and Psychosis of Parkinson's disease (Interview with Caregiver Sharon)

One of the greatest challenges for a caregiver of a loved one with Parkinson's disease is managing episodes of psychosis.
On today's episode, I interview a caregiver named Sharon. Sharon is a caregiver for her husband with a 14 year history of PD. In the recent years, he has experienced a decline in cognitive function as well as episodes of psychosis that included visual and tactile hallucinations as well as delusional thoughts. Sharon shares some of these experiences with us and explains how she handled the episodes. She offers great advice for all caregivers not only witnessing psychotic episodes but also cognitive decline.
The Parkinson's Disease Caring Podcast is produced and hosted by Dr. Kevin Klos. Please visit www.pdcaring.com for more resources and information.