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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Behavioral Assessments of Spontaneous Locomotion in a Murine MPTP-induced Parkinson's Disease Model
Published on: January 7, 2019
Effects of methylphenidate on cognitive function and gait in patients with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study
Eitan Auriel1, Jeffrey M Hausdorff, Talia Herman
1Movement Disorders Unit, NPF Center of Excellence, Department of Neurology, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Abstract:
Twenty-one patients with Parkinson's disease were studied before and 2 h after the administration of a single dose of 20 mg of methylphenidate. In response to methylphenidate, attention significantly improved, whereas memory and visual-spatial performance were unchanged. Gait speed, stride time variability, and Timed Up and Go times (demonstrated measures of fall risk) significantly improved. These findings suggest a new potential pharmacologic means of enhancing mobility and decreasing fall risk in Parkinson's disease.
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