Book Review: Movement Disorders in Dementia

Editors

Marcelo Merello, MD, PhD: Neuroscience Department, Raul Carrea Institute for Neurological Research, Universidad Catolica Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sergio E. Starkstein, MD, PhD, School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Western Australia Fremantle, Fremantle, WA, Australia

Publisher

Springer-Verlag London 2014

Review contributed by: John C. Morgan, MD, PhD, Department of Neurology, Medical College of Georgia, Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA

Movement disorders are commonly encountered in neurological practice.  Some patients present with abnormal movements and later develop dementia as in Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD), while others may have dementia as a predominant initial clinical feature and then develop abnormal movements as the disease evolves as in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The editors of this book have created a novel and comprehensive look at the dementias and movement disorders associated with them.

Drs. Merello and Starkstein have assembled experts in their fields to write chapters covering abnormal movements in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), progressive aphasias, vascular dementia, DLB, normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), and even infectious dementias.  The book also contains an important chapter on the very common occurrence of drug-induced movement disorders in the elderly. 

While parkinsonism is perhaps the most commonly reported finding in the elderly with AD, DLB, FTD and many other dementias, the book also details other, less common movements that can be seen including dystonia, myoclonus, and gait disorders. The authors also discuss how to best treat these movement disorders in the setting of dementia with a good discussion of established principles, but also acknowledging when there is very little data to guide treatment.

I found the book to be succinct and easy to read with minimal redundancy in a few areas.  I feel the editors have done a terrific job of covering relevant topics in the crossroads of dementia and movement disorders.  This book should be in the library of both dementia specialists and movement disorder neurologists.  I commend the editors and authors for a terrific work that will serve as the reference on the topic for years to come.