Issue title: Special Section: Selected Papers from the 10th International congress on Non-Motor Dysfunctions in Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders, Nice, France, December 4–7, 2014
Affiliations: [a] Karolinska Institute, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), H1, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Huddinge, Sweden | [b] Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway | [c] Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Ljubljana, Slovenia
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Prof. Dag Aarsland, MD, PhD, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), H1, Division of Neurogeriatrics, Novum Pl 5 14157 Huddinge, Sweden. Tel.: +46 08 585 803 24; Fax: +46 8 585 836 45; dag.aarsland@gmail.com
Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by motor symptoms, but focused and extensive research in the last years has provided new knowledge in the field of non-motor symptoms. Non-motor symptoms include neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, apathy, impulse control disorders, and occur in the majority of patients with PD. They are associated with impaired quality of life for patients and relatives, additional deterioration of function and increased use of health resources. Medical and surgical therapies commonly used for treatment of PD can induce or worsen such symptoms. This paper discusses the epidemiology, clinical features and treatment approaches for neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in PD in the perspective of clinical practice and management. The prevalence rates of various NPS are high, various demographic, clinical and treatment related variables have shown to be associated with higher risk of NPS. Randomized controlled trials of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments of NPS in PD are sparse. Current evidence supports tricyclic antidepressants as efficacious treatment of depression in PD and antipsychotic clozapine as efficacious choice for psychosis. Further studies to evaluate various other management strategies of NPS in PD are required. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in PD should be considered an integral part of the disease; hence a multidisciplinary approach is essential to improve the overall outcome of PD also through raised awareness and enriched knowledge on NPS.
