Home › Research › Caregiving
White matter lesions in Parkinson disease
Bohnen NI, Albin RL.. Nature reviews. Neurology, 2011-02-22
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Pure vascular parkinsonism without evidence of nigral Lewy body pathology may occur as a distinct clinicopathological entity, but a much more frequent occurrence is the comorbid presence of age-associated white matter lesions (WMLs) in idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD). WMLs are associated with motor and cognitive symptoms in otherwise normal elderly individuals. Comorbid WMLs are, therefore, expected to contribute to clinical symptoms in PD. Studies of WMLs in PD differ with regard to methods of assessment of WML burden and the patient populations selected for analysis, but converging evidence suggests that postural stability and gait motor functions are predominantly affected. WMLs are described to contribute to dementia in Alzheimer disease, and emerging but inconclusive evidence indicates similar effects in PD. In this article, we review the literature addressing the occurrence and impact of WMLs in PD, and suggest that WMLs may exacerbate or contribute to some motor and cognitive deficits associated with PD. We review existing and emerging methods for studying white matter pathology in vivo, and propose future research directions.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Bohnen, N. I., & Albin, R. L. (2011). White matter lesions in Parkinson disease. Nature reviews. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.21
Vancouver
Bohnen NI, Albin RL. White matter lesions in Parkinson disease. Nature reviews. Neurology. 2011. doi:10.1038/nrneurol.2011.21. PMID: 21343896.
BibTeX
@article{bohnen2011-21343896,
author = {Bohnen, N. I. and Albin, R. L.},
title = {{White matter lesions in Parkinson disease}},
journal = {Nature reviews. Neurology},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1038/nrneurol.2011.21},
pmid = {21343896},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/nrneurol.2011.21}
}
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.
Key findings
- WMLs are associated with motor and cognitive symptoms in otherwise normal elderly individuals.
- Studies of WMLs in PD differ with regard to methods of assessment of WML burden and the patient populations selected for analysis, but converging evidence suggests that postural stability and gait motor functions are predominantly affected.
- In this article, we review the literature addressing the occurrence and impact of WMLs in PD, and suggest that WMLs may exacerbate or contribute to some motor and cognitive deficits associated with PD.
Why it matters
This review suggests that age-associated white matter lesions may worsen or contribute to some motor and cognitive deficits in Parkinson disease. It concerns Parkinson disease and offers no treatment, cure, or prevention for Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Caregiving →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 44/100
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 (Nature reviews. Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | Nature Reviews Neurology: journal h-index 269 (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 | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| 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 225 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 13.2 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 1.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 3 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 48 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Roger L. Albin: h-index 94 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Michigan: institution h-index 2,240 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21343896) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 44 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
3 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Caregiving
Also tagged “bodies”
1,017 studies in the library carry the topic tag “bodies”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,017 tagged studies.