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Parkinson's Disease:

Neuropsychiatric Aspects of DBS for Parkinson's: Report from MovDis Congress 2004

A number of papers and presentations at the 8th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders focused on the neuropsychiatric aspects of deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease, with an emphasis on careful neuropsychiatric screening during patient selection. WE MOVE has posted summaries of four reports on this topic, including:

  • Neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease patients presenting for subthalamic stimulation
  • Mood, motivation, and personality in PD patients on subthalamic stimulation
  • Suicide after deep brain stimulation

Article Compares Pallidal and Subthalamic Stimulation for Management of Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesias

Kenneth A. Follett, M.D., Ph.D., has written a detailed article reviewing documented outcomes of stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and stimulation of the globus pallidus interna (GPi) for the online publication Neurosurgical Focus. According to Dr. Follett, of the Dept. of Neurosurgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and Iowa City Veterans Administration Medical Center, Iowa City: "Deep brain stimulation of the STN has become the surgical treatment of choice in many movement disorders programs but this modality has not been compared with DBS of the GPi in randomized controlled trials, and the superiority of one site over the other remains unproven. . . . Selection of the target should be based on the patient's most disabling symptoms, response to medications (including side effects), and the goals of therapy, with consideration given to the different antidyskinetic effects of DBS of the STN and GPi." Read complete paper or the following sections:

Source: Follett KA. Comparison of pallidal and subthalamic deep brain stimulation for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesias. Neurosurg Focus. 2004 Jul 15;17(1):E3.

NINDS Site Prioritizes Parkinsons Disease Research Goals

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) regularly reviews the international standing of Parkinsons disease research and collects information on the obstacles to progress. The NINDS publishes a matrix of short-to-long-range goals and low-to-high risk action items as a resource for public and private research organizations.

Medscape's Parkinson's Disease Resource Center

Medscape's Parkinson's Disease Resource Center offers general information on the diagnosis and treatment of Parkinsons disease, research news, recent abstracts, an Ask the Experts column, CME programs in Parkinson's, practice guidelines, and patient education.

Overview of Imaging Techniques in Diagnosing Parkinson's Disease

Medscape's Ask the Expert series recently addressed the issue of diagnosing Parkinson's disease. The question, Are lab or imaging tests available to diagnose Parkinson's disease, or must physicians rely on clinical evaluation? is answered by James W. Tetrud, M.D., of The Parkinson's Institute, Sunnyvale, CA, and Director of the Movement Disorders Treatment Center, Portola Valley, CA. Medscape includes suggested articles on dopamine transporter imaging recently published in JAMA (read abstract) and Movement Disorders (read abstract).

Surgery for Parkinson's: Overview and Suggested Readings

Medscape's "Ask the Expert" series recently posted an answer by William C. Koller, M.D., Ph.D., to the question:

"What is the current status of the subthalamotomy and pallidotomy in the treatment of Parkinson's disease?" Dr. Koller's response describes deep brain stimulation as effective for reducing the motor symptoms of Parkinson's, followed by suggested readings. Dr. Koller is affiliated with the Dept. of Neurology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY.

NINDS Parkinson's Research Web

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders an Stroke (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) maintains the Parkinson's Disease Research Web with links to numerous categories of literature in Parkinson's research, including deep brain stimulation, ethics, genetics, and neuroimaging.

JAMA Archives Topic Pages

The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) website maintains archive pages on neurological topics by therapy and disorder. The pages on deep brain stimulation and Parkinson's disease and parkinsonian disorders include abstracts of articles from Archives of Neurology, Archives of Psychiatry, and JAMA. Abstracts are available free; full-text articles require subscription to JAMA online.

 

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