Parkinson's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Parkinson's Disease, including details on symptoms, treatment, genetics, medication.

Addiction in Parkinson's disease: impact of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation.

Witjas T, Baunez C, Henry JM, Delfini M, Regis J, Cherif AA, Peragut JC, Azulay JP

Department of Neurology, University Hospital Timone, Marseille, France. twitjas@yahoo.com

In Parkinson's disease, dopamine dysregulation syndrome (DDS) is characterized by severe dopamine addiction and behavioral disorders such as manic psychosis, hypersexuality, pathological gambling, and mood swings. Here, we describe the case of 2 young parkinsonian patients suffering from disabling motor fluctuations and dyskinesia associated with severe DDS. In addition to alleviating the motor disability in both patients, subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation greatly reduced the behavioral disorders as well as completely abolished the addiction to dopaminergic treatment. Dopaminergic addiction in patients with Parkinson's disease, therefore, does not constitute an obstacle to high-frequency STN stimulation, and this treatment may even cure the addiction.

Published 4 August 2005 in Mov Disord, 20(8): 1052-5.
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