Neurology Week 2

Question 1

An 82-year-old man is being investigated for a cognitive impairment and concerns about a movement disorder. As part of the assessment he is referred for a number of scans.

The results are as follows:

MRI head normal age-related changes
SPECT scan reduced dopaminergic activity in the substantia nigra

Given the above information, what is the likely diagnosis?

Answer 1

Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s Disease is a neurodegenerative disorder involving death of neurones in the substantia nigra. The substantia nigra contains dopaminergic cells

There is no noticeable atrophy on a CT such as with Alzheimer’s