title: Increased Alzheimer pathology in Parkinson's disease related to antimuscarinic drugs.
abstract: The hypothesis that blockade of muscarinic receptors is associated with increased Alzheimer-type pathology was investigated in Parkinson's disease. Amyloid plaque densities were more than 2.5-fold higher in cases treated with antimuscarinic medication in the long term compared with untreated or short-term treated cases (p = 0.005 and 0.00005, respectively). Neurofibrillary tangle densities were also highest in chronic compared with untreated or acute-treated groups (p = 0.02 and 0.05, respectively). The findings, if replicated, have potential implications for the use of anticholinergic medication in elderly Parkinson's disease patients.
authors.affiliation: MRC Building, Wolfson Research Centre, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. e.k.perry@ncl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Elaine K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kilford
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lees
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Burn
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Perry
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000009:adverse effects; D001344:Autopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016874:Neurofibrillary Tangles / Q000473:pathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000473:pathology*; D058225:Plaque, Amyloid / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists