While it is well known that people with PD experience problems with their movement (such as tremors, stiffness, slowness, and loss of balance), other aspects of the disease are often under-researched. This is especially true of the cognitive symptoms, such as memory problems, that many people with PD experience.
In fact, we now know that cognition is the top concern of people with PD, and that even mild memory problems can be present at the time of PD diagnosis. Decline in memory can also contribute towards a poor quality of life for people with PD.
Research conducted at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.A has shown evidence for low doses of the drug levetiracetam in reducing memory problems in people with mild memory deficits prior to developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Currently, levetiracetam is the subject of a Food & Drug Administration (FDA)- registered phase III clinical trial to treat mild memory impairment in the U.S.A.
Levetiracetam is approved in Australia to treat epilepsy. It is currently prescribed to many Australians over the age of four to prevent epileptic seizures. However, it is not approved in Australia to treat memory impairments in PD.