THE INFLUENCE OF WHITE-MATTER HYPERINTENSITIES ON THE CLINICAL-FEATURES OF PARKINSONS-DISEASE

This study was designed to investigate the influence of white matter h yperintensities (WMH) on clinical features of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. The study subjects were 44 patients with PD who took a brai n MRI. The severity of Parkinsonian symptoms wins assessed in both 'on ' and 'off' states, using the UPDRS-motor score. Thirteen patients (30 %) showed WMH. The patients with WMH were significantly older than tho se without WMH (67+/-5.7 vs 60+/-16.4 years). In both 'off' and 'on' s tates, the gait scores were significantly higher in patients with WMH than in those without WMH (1.6+/-0.18 vs 1.1+/-0.12, P<0.05), but othe r motor symptom (tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity) scores between the tw o patient groups were not statistically different. lifter taking a sin gle dose of oral levodopa/benserazide (200mg/50mg), the patients with WMH showed significantly less improvement in bradykinesia score than t hose without WMH (25+/-4.1% vs 40+/-4.0%, P<0.05), but the improvement s in other symptoms were comparable between the two groups. These resu lts suggest that WMH on MRI may influence Parkinsonian motor symptoms, particularly gait symptom and levodopa-responsiveness to bradykinesia symptom.