Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 100000 Canadians, a number that is expected to rise as the population ages. While PD is typically characterized by motor symptoms, most people with PD will also experience cognitive impairments which can be more disabling than motor symptoms. Cognitive impairment in PD is progressive. It starts out as a decline in cognitive functioning that exceeds what would be expected in healthy aging but that does not interfere with daily functioning (mild cognitive impairment; PD-MCI). In the majority of cases, this cognitive impairment advances to dementia, which has a significant negative impact on daily functioning and quality of life. Treatment is most effective in early stages, thus timely identification of patients with PD who at risk for developing PD-MCI is imperative. Large databases such as the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) following newly diagnosed people with PD over many years using both cognitive and neuroimaging measures offer a unique opportunity to retrospectively identify the earliest changes in the brain before cognitive impairment is established and irreversible brain damage has occurred. Using the PPMI cohort, we will examine differences in brain structure in those who we know convert to PD-MCI compared to their counterparts with PD who remain cognitively stable. The ability to detect changes in brain structure prior to observable changes in cognition can inform the early identification of patients with PD who have the highest likelihood of developing PD-MCI, which is a risk factor for developing dementia. This has implications for patient management and prognosis, allowing for the implementation of early prevention or treatments methods that could improve long-term cognitive outcomes and quality of life, as well as allow for increased treatment options.