The white matter hyperintensities within the cholinergic pathways and cognitive performance in patients with Parkinson's disease after bilateral STN DBS

•WMHs in the cholinergic pathways are associated with cognition in patients with PD both before and after STN-DBS.•WMHs in the cholinergic pathways does not correlate with the change of cognition in patients with PD after STN-DBS.•WMHs could change after bilateral STN-DBS.•In the selected population for DBS, with relatively low WMHs, the DBS did not have a deleterious effect on cognition.