Therapy of behavioral disorders in Parkinson's disease

Behavioral disturbances in Parkinson's disease (PD) are a common source of disability to both patients and their families, but there is a considerable controversy regarding their frequency and their neuropathological and neurochemical bases. Since they are so common, the disorders associated with PD should be well recognized, and proper management by neurologists is required. The most frequent behavioral disturbances encountered in patients with PD are depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment and dementia. Also frequent are sleep disorders such as sleep fragmentation, REM sleep behavior disorder, insomnia and altered dreaming. The most troublesome situations come from drug-induced psychiatric states, such as delusional states, hallucinations, paranoid ideation, delirium, and confusion. The treatment of these behaviors is reviewed here.