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Cognitive dysfunction and dementia in Parkinson's disease
Bosboom JL, Stoffers D, Wolters ECh.. Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996), 2004-06-30
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder mainly characterized by degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area, in combination with a varying loss of central noradrenergic (locus coeruleus), cholinergic (nucleus basalis of Meynert) and serotonergic (dorsal raphe nuclei) integrity, leading to a multitude of motor and non-motor behavioral disturbances. Apart from the clinical motor hallmarks, in the early stages of disease, subtle cognitive dysfunction might be seen comprising mainly executive dysfunction, with secondary visuospatial and mnemonic disturbances. In about 20-40% of patients, these problems may eventually proceed to dementia, which constitutes an important risk factor for caregiver distress, decreased quality of life and nursing home placement. Dementia in PD is typically characterized by a progressive dysexecutive syndrome with attentional deficits and fluctuating cognition, often accompanied by psychotic symptoms. It is thought to be the result of a combination of both subcortical and cortical changes. PD-related dopaminergic deficiency in the nucleus caudatus and mesocortical areas (due to degeneration of projections from the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area) and cholinergic deficiency in the cortex (due to degeneration of ascending projections from the nucleus basalis of Meynert), combined with additional Alzheimer-pathology and cortical Lewy bodies, may greatly contribute to dementia. Current treatment of dementia in PD is based on compensation of the profound cholinergic deficiency. Recent studies with the cholinesterase inhibitors galantamine, donepezil and rivastigmine show promising results in improving cognition and ameliorating psychotic symptoms, which must further be confirmed in randomized controlled trials.
Key findings
- It is thought to be the result of a combination of both subcortical and cortical changes.
- Recent studies with the cholinesterase inhibitors galantamine, donepezil and rivastigmine show promising results in improving cognition and ameliorating psychotic symptoms, which must further be confirmed in randomized controlled trials.
Why it matters
This review states that in about 20-40% of Parkinson's disease patients, subtle early cognitive problems may eventually proceed to dementia, which is an important risk factor for caregiver distress, decreased quality of life, and nursing home placement. It notes that recent studies with the cholinesterase inhibitors galantamine, donepezil, and rivastigmine show promising results in improving cognition and ameliorating psychotic symptoms, which must be further confirmed in randomized controlled trials.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 46/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | Journal of Neural Transmission: journal h-index 167 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2004 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 273 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 11.4 citations a year over 24 year(s) since 2004 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 9.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 14 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author E.Ch. Wolters: h-index 23 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: institution h-index 1,014 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 15480840) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 46 / 100 | — |
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Read the original
- DOI: 10.1007/s00702-004-0168-1
- PubMed: 15480840
- Original source →
- Free full text: VU Research Portal →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Bosboom, J. L., Stoffers, D., & ECh, W. (2004). Cognitive dysfunction and dementia in Parkinson's disease. Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-004-0168-1
Vancouver
Bosboom JL, Stoffers D, ECh W. Cognitive dysfunction and dementia in Parkinson's disease. Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996). 2004. doi:10.1007/s00702-004-0168-1. PMID: 15480840.
BibTeX
@article{bosboom2004-15480840,
author = {Bosboom, J. L. and Stoffers, D. and ECh, Wolters},
title = {{Cognitive dysfunction and dementia in Parkinson's disease}},
journal = {Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996)},
year = {2004},
doi = {10.1007/s00702-004-0168-1},
pmid = {15480840},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-004-0168-1}
}
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