This news release is available in French .
Researchers at the University of Montreal and the Institut universitaire de gératrie de Montréal examined brain changes over 20 months in Parkinson's patients with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at the early stages of the disease. Results showed that patients with MCI had significantly more cortical thinning and subcortical atrophy over time compared with patients without MCI, suggesting that early MCI in PD patients may indicate faster neurodegeneration. The specific pattern observed might serve as a marker for the prediction of dementia in PD in the future. The study was led by Alexandru Hanganu and Oury Monchi. Hanganu presented his findings on October 2, 2013 at the World Parkinson Congress in Montreal.