Uncovering a novel therapeutic target to reduce dementia risk in Parkinson’s disease

While it is well known that people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) experience problems with their movement, it is lesser known that around 80% of people with PD develop dementia. Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.A. has found that low doses of the anti-epileptic drug levetiracetam can reduce memory problems in people prone to Alzheimer’s disease.

The aim of this study is to investigate brain abnormalities that put people at greater risk of developing dementia in PD, and to test the whether levetiracetam has a targeted effect on these brain structures to improve memory and therefore reduce dementia risk in PD.

We invite both healthy older adults and people with Parkinson’s disease who are eligible for an MRI scan to participate. Healthy adults will not be required to take the study drug.