Altered brain communication could be predictive marker of dementia in Parkinson’s disease
New Rochelle, NY, March 30, 2016–Dementia will develop in about 80% of patients with Parkinson's disease, and a new study has found significant variability in brain signaling that could serve as a predictive marker for identifying which patients are at highest risk of dementia. Measuring brain signal variability as an early indicator of impaired cognitive function and information processing is an innovative new approach described in the study published in Brain Connectivity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free for download on the Brain Connectivity website until April 30, 2016.
In "Brain Connectivity Alterations Are Associated with Dementia in Parkinson's Disease," J.A. Bertrand and coauthors from Baycrest Center (Toronto), Hôpital du Sacré-Cur de Montréal, McGill University (Montreal), Université de Montréal, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, and Universiteé du Québec à Montréal, Canada, describe the use of resting state electroencephalography (EEG) for a mean of 3 years in patients with Parkinson's disease, comparing the findings in those in whom dementia did or did not develop. The researchers measured specific disruptions in brain communication that were present before symptoms of dementia were apparent. If confirmed by additional studies, these brain signaling alterations could identify the best patients to include in trials of new neuroprotective drugs.
"Early diagnosis is key to treatment of dementia patients with the limited options currently available," says Christopher Pawela, PhD, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Brain Connectivity and Assistant Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin. "EEG is a lower-cost alternative to many modern diagnostic imaging modalities. If a reliable predictive marker for dementia could be developed using EEG, it may find lower barriers to clinical use."
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About the Journal
Brain Connectivity is the essential peer-reviewed journal covering groundbreaking findings in the rapidly advancing field of connectivity research at the systems and network levels. Published 10 times per year in print and online, the Journal is under the leadership of Founding and Co-Editors-in-Chief Christopher Pawela, PhD, Assistant Professor, Medical College of Wisconsin, and Bharat Biswal, PhD, Chair of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology. It includes original peer-reviewed papers, review articles, point-counterpoint discussions on controversies in the field, and a product/technology review section. To ensure that scientific findings are rapidly disseminated, articles are published Instant Online within 72 hours of acceptance, with fully typeset, fast-track publication within 4 weeks. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Brain Connectivity website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative medical and biomedical peer-reviewed journals, including Journal of Neurotrauma and Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
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