AD/PD 2021 | Basal forebrain volume and LRRK2-associated PD

Lucia Batzu, MD, Kings College London, London, UK, discusses the genetic risk factors associated with cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and provides an overview of a recent study investigating a potential relationship between basal forebrain (BF) volume and LRRK2-associated PD. Patients with LRRK2-associated PD and unaffected LRRK2 mutation carriers were demonstrated to have an increased BF volume compared to patients with idiopathic PD and healthy controls. BF volume was also found to be a significant predictor of cognitive impairment in patients with idiopathic PD but not LRRK2-associated PD, who also did not show cognitive progression over a 4-year follow-up period. This interview took place during the AD/PD™ 2021 conference.