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Levodopa increases speed of alternating movements in Parkinson’s disease patients

  • Movement Disorders - Short communication
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Abstract

Disturbances of alternating movement execution are a characteristic clinical sign of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objectives were to compare instrumentally measured diadochokinetic motion series carrying out before and 1 h after standardised levodopa intake and to correlate the device results with the respective rating scores of the PD patients. Maximum velocity and interval improved following levodopa application. The amplitude of motions did not differ between both assessment moments. Closer correlations between rating- and diadochokinesimeter outcomes appeared before levodopa intake.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the patients, the controls, B Marchewitz, G Edler, U Claussnitzer, PH Kraus, P Klotz for technical assistance. This work is dedicated to H Przuntek who had the initial idea for the development of this diadochokinesimeter. This work was supported by an unrestricted grant of the university (F 443-2004).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital Bochum, Gudrunstr. 56, 44791, Bochum, Germany

    Thomas Müller

  2. Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Bergmannsheil University Hospital, Buerkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany

    Sören Peters

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum Dortmund, Münsterstr. 240, 44145, Dortmund, Germany

    Ali Harati

  4. Department of Neurology, St. Joseph Hospital Berlin-Weissensee, Gartenstr. 1, 13088, Berlin, Germany

    Thomas Müller

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  1. Thomas Müller
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  2. Sören Peters
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  3. Ali Harati
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Correspondence to Thomas Müller.

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Müller, T., Peters, S. & Harati, A. Levodopa increases speed of alternating movements in Parkinson’s disease patients. J Neural Transm 120, 309–313 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-012-0848-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00702-012-0848-1

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