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My Mother is 62 years old and has PD approximately 7 years. She is on sinemet for the PD and pamelar for the depression associated with PD. She has, over the last year or so, show increasing signs of confusion, intense anxiety, forgetfulness, moderate to extreme paranoia and eccentric behavior ( she will not sleep in her bedroom, she sleeps on the couch in the living room) and so on. I called her doctor and asked how you tell the difference between dementia caused by PD and the side effects of the medication. He basically said you really couldn't but that he want to rule out any other medical causes for her behavior. He did a battery of tests which have all come back negative. No brain tumor, no signs of strokes etc. He spoke with my sister and told her however, that my mom's brain is growing smaller and she definitely has dementia. THis may sound like a dumb question, but can anyone tell me exactly what that means? What does her brain growing smaller mean in terms of her functioning on a daily basis? Is this common among PD patients? Is her brain growing smaller a precursor to a pattern of behavior and if so, what? Is there any effective type of treatment for this condition? Any information you can give me would be very helpful. We have tried to get her to see other doctors and she absolutely refuses. Thanks for your time!