Tiny Talk Series: E17 Parkinson's

Episode 17 in a series of tiny talks about dementia, mild cognitive impairment & memory challenges. In this podcast, I talk about Parkinson's related dementia. Please message me with requests or questions you may have, for future talks.

Transcript

Hello,

And welcome to episode 17 of my series of tiny talks about dementia and related issues.

Today I will talk about Parkinson's syndrome.

I'm not sure if anybody else calls it Parkinson's syndrome instead of disease,

But after making such a point that it should not be Alzheimer's disease,

But Alzheimer's syndrome,

I feel I need to be consistent and refer to Parkinson's as a syndrome as well.

Parkinson's is another neurodegenerative syndrome that mainly affects dopamine-producing neurons located in the substantia nigra.

Although those make up a small part of the brain,

The consequences of this part of the brain being affected by the build-up of Lewy bodies is substantial.

Symptoms build up slowly over the years.

As with the other brain disorders I describe,

It develops and presents differently for everyone.

As the Parkinson's Foundation states,

People with PD may experience tremors,

Bradykinesia,

Limb rigidity and gait and balance problems.

Bradykinesia signifies slowness of movement.

As you can see from these symptoms,

Parkinson's firstly and mainly affects on an individual's mobility.

However,

In later stages,

These symptoms are often accompanied by Parkinson's related dementia.

The Alzheimer's Association estimates that 50 to 80% of those with Parkinson's eventually experience dementia as their disease progressive.

Some studies have reported that then,

Average time from onset of Parkinson's to developing dementia is about 10 years.

Certain factors at the time of Parkinson's diagnosis may increase the risk of developing dementia in the future.

These include an advanced age,

A greater severity of motor symptoms and mild cognitive impairment or MCI.

Additional risk factors may include excessive daytime sleepiness,

The presence of hallucination in a person who doesn't yet have other dementia symptoms,

And a Parkinson's symptom pattern known as postural instability and gait disturbance.

Reviews

My husband at 65 years old has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Syndrome and Lewy Body. April 2025 at Toronto Memory Clinic.
This diagnosis took approximately 4 years.
His maternal grandmother and mother suffered from Alzhimers.
I knew he was having delusions at a progressive rate and body weakness.

Thankful to have a name to his symptoms.

Robin William wife has a podcast out about his symptoms with Lewy Body. Very helpful for me as his wife described exactly my husbands progression.
Sad Robin never received his diagnosis.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Very interesting! Thank you!