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Obsessive-compulsive symptoms in Parkinson's disease
M Alegret1, C Junqué, F Valldeoriola
1Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Pg Vall d'Hebron 171, 08035 Barcelona, Spain.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
|February 22, 2001
Summary
Obsessive-compulsive traits are more common in severe Parkinson's disease (PD) but not mild PD. These findings suggest basal ganglia changes, not initial dopamine deficiency, contribute to these symptoms as PD progresses.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Movement Disorders
Background:
- Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder primarily affecting motor function.
- Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) are increasingly recognized in PD patients.
- The relationship between PD progression and OCS requires further systematic investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically investigate the prevalence and characteristics of obsessive-compulsive traits in non-demented, non-depressed patients with Parkinson's disease.
- To explore the correlation between the severity and duration of Parkinson's disease and obsessive-compulsive traits.
- To elucidate the potential neurobiological underpinnings of OCS in Parkinson's disease.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Maudsley Obsessional-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI) and a modified Leyton Obsessional Inventory (LOI).
- Assessed a sample of non-demented and non-depressed patients with varying stages of Parkinson's disease.
- Compared patient scores to those of normal controls.
Main Results:
- Patients with severe Parkinson's disease exhibited significantly higher total scores on both MOCI and LOI compared to controls.
- Specific MOCI subscales, including "checking," "doubting," and "cleaning," were elevated in severe PD patients.
- No significant differences in obsessive-compulsive traits were observed between patients with mild Parkinson's disease and normal controls.
- A significant positive correlation was found between illness severity/duration and MOCI total scores.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the involvement of basal ganglia circuitry in the manifestation of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology in Parkinson's disease.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder in PD does not appear directly linked to the initial nigrostriatal dopaminergic deficit.
- The emergence of obsessive symptoms may be associated with progressive neurochemical alterations within the basal ganglia as Parkinson's disease advances.