Management of Motor Symptoms in Dementia Disorders

Abstract

Motor symptoms frequently accompany cognitive dysfunction in dementia disorders. They may occur in the later stages of the disease as in the case of primary dementing disorders such as Alzheimer disease, they may accompany cognitive dysfunction from the beginning as may be seen in Dementia with Lewy Bodies or they may precede dementia as is the case in Parkinson’s disease dementia. The spectrum of motor symptoms in dementia disorders is broad and includes both hypokinetic symptoms such as parkinsonism as well as hyperkinetic symptoms such as chorea, myoclonus, and dystonia, disorders of gait and balance. Treatment is symptomatic, for most disorders evidence base for pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are weak.