---
title: "Parkinsonism: Disorders Where Parkinsonism May Be Symptomatic"
description: "**Parkinsonism** is a **clinical syndrome** characterised by a combination of **motor symptoms**, most notably **bradykinesia (slowness of movement), muscular rigidity, resting tremor, and postural instability**. These features resemble those seen in Parkinson’s disease, but parkinsonism can result from a **range of…"
url: "https://neuro.vip/neuropsychology/dementia-neuropsychology/parkinsonism-disorders-where-parkinsonism-may-be-symptomatic/"
updated: "2025-08-15"
category: Dementia Neuropsychology
tags:
  - Brain Disorders
  - Dementia
  - Differential Diagnosis
  - Parkinsonism
---

# Parkinsonism: Disorders Where Parkinsonism May Be Symptomatic

**Parkinsonism** is a **clinical syndrome** characterised by a combination of **motor symptoms**, most notably **bradykinesia (slowness of movement), muscular rigidity, resting tremor, and postural instability**. These features resemble those seen in Parkinson’s disease, but parkinsonism can result from a **range of underlying neurological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases, certain medications, or vascular causes**. Importantly, while Parkinson’s disease is the most well-known and common cause, the presence of parkinsonism does not necessarily indicate a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease itself.

## Disorders Where Parkinsonism May Be Symptomatic

| Disorder | Parkinsonism? | Comment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amnestic variant Alzheimer’s disease | Possible | Not typical early; [extrapyramidal signs](https://neuro.vip/neuropsychology/neuropsychological-disorders/extrapyramidal-symptoms/) can appear late or with Lewy body co-pathology. |
| Behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) | Possible | Often due to underlying PSP/CBD-spectrum pathology; genetic FTD (e.g., MAPT/GRN) may show parkinsonism. Not typically associated with MSA. |
| Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease dementia | Possible | Akinetic-rigid features can emerge, especially later, alongside myoclonus and rapid decline. |
| **Corticobasal degeneration (CBD)** | **Core** | Classically asymmetric, levodopa-poor parkinsonism within corticobasal syndrome (CBS). |
| **Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)** | **Core** | Parkinsonism is a core feature (with fluctuations and visual hallucinations). |
| Huntington’s disease dementia | Sometimes | Akinetic-rigid “Westphal” variant (esp. juvenile) and later-stage HD can show parkinsonism. |
| Logopenic variant primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA) | Rare/possible | Usually AD pathology; parkinsonism uncommon but can occur with overlap (e.g., LBD/CBS). |
| **Multiple system atrophy (MSA)** | **Core** | Defining parkinsonism in MSA-P with autonomic failure; may be minimal in MSA-C. |
| Nonfluent agrammatic PPA (nfaPPA) | Yes (not rare) | Frequently evolves to PSP/CBS phenotypes with axial rigidity, gait freezing, or apraxia of speech. |
| **Parkinson’s disease dementia (PDD)** | **Core** | By definition, parkinsonism precedes dementia by ≥ 1 year. |
| Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) | Rare/possible | Typically AD-related visual syndrome; parkinsonism suggests LBD/CBS overlap. |
| **Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP)** | **Core** | Core atypical parkinsonism with early postural instability/falls, axial rigidity, vertical supranuclear gaze palsy or slow vertical saccades; poor levodopa response. |
| Semantic variant PPA (svPPA) | Rare | Usually TDP-43; parkinsonism is uncommon and typically late/minor if present. |
| Vascular cognitive impairment | Yes | Vascular parkinsonism is a recognised phenotype (lower-body predominant, poor levodopa response). |