Parkinson’s disease is a condition that affects a lot of people worldwide. It mainly leads to physical problems, like shaking and trouble moving.
But did you know it can also cause mental issues? One of these problems is having hallucinations, or seeing and feeling things that aren’t really there.
What are Hallucinations?
We’ve all experienced the feeling of someone being behind us, only to turn around and see nothing. That’s what we call a “hallucination.”
Hallucinations happen a lot in people with Parkinson’s disease. They can start early in the disease. Sometimes, people ignore these hallucinations.
They think it’s just a side effect of their medication. But, these hallucinations could be a sign of a bigger problem.
Important Findings from EPFL Scientists
Scientists at EPFL, a Swiss university, have discovered something important. They found that people with Parkinson’s who start having hallucinations early are at risk.
Their minds might get worse faster. The results of their research were published in Nature Mental Health.
According to Olaf Blanke, who leads the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience at EPFL, early hallucinations in Parkinson’s disease should be taken seriously.
If you or someone you know has Parkinson’s and starts seeing things that aren’t there, you should tell your doctor right away.
The Study on Parkinson’s Patients
EPFL scientists and doctors from a hospital in Barcelona worked together on a study. They talked to 75 people with Parkinson’s disease.
All the people were between 60 and 70 years old. The doctors interviewed the patients to understand their mental state. They also used a special machine to measure the brain’s activity.
From this study, they learned that people with Parkinson’s disease who have hallucinations early on may have faster mental decline.
They specifically noted the decline in the ability to plan and organise, what scientists call “frontal executive function.”
Importance of Early Detection
Diseases like Parkinson’s can be hard to catch early. Often, by the time we know someone has it, it’s too late to prevent it from getting worse.
That’s why these scientists want to use early signs, like minor hallucinations, to find the disease sooner. This can help slow down the disease and its effects on the mind and body.
Parkinson’s and Hallucinations: A Closer Look
Parkinson’s disease is best known for causing problems with movement. But it can also cause other issues, like hallucinations, which are often less talked about.
About half of the people with Parkinson’s disease have regular hallucinations.
These can range from minor ones, like feeling someone is there when they aren’t, to major ones, like seeing things that aren’t real. These major hallucinations usually happen later in the disease.
The Future of Parkinson’s Treatment
Early detection of hallucinations could mean early treatment of the disease. This could help develop better, more personal treatments to slow the disease down and improve mental function.
In the future, scientists hope to find a way to know who is more likely to have a severe form of Parkinson’s disease. This form of the disease can lead to faster mental decline and dementia.
Ideally, they want to find these people even before hallucinations start to occur. That’s why they’re working on new methods and procedures to help them do that.
Understanding Parkinson’s disease and its early signs, like hallucinations, can lead to better care and treatment for people with this disease.
So, if you or someone you know has Parkinson’s, keep an eye out for early hallucinations and make sure to tell your doctor about them. It might make a big difference in your treatment and care.
If you care about Parkinson’s disease, please read studies that Vitamin B may slow down cognitive decline, and Mediterranean diet could help lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.
For more information about brain health, please see recent studies that blueberry supplements may prevent cognitive decline, and results showing Plant-based diets could protect cognitive health from air pollution.
The study was published in Nature Mental Health.
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