Diffuse destruction of white matter myelin sheath integrity associated with cognitive impairment of long-term Parkinson’s disease patients

The incidence of Parkinson's disease patients combined with dementia increased significantly with the extension of disease course, and increased from 26.3% to 83% at twenty years after diagnosis. This study aims to use diffusion tensor imaging to detect the pattern of white matter damage in long-term PD patients with cognitive impairment, and results indicated that PD patients have diffuse FA decrease of white matter that is correlated with cognitive status.