Discinesias induzidas por levodopa em 176 pacientes com doença de Parkinson Levodopa-induced dyskinesias in 176 parkisonian patients

A ocorrência de discinesias dificulta consideravelmente o manuseio terapêutico dos pacientes parkinsonianos tratados com levodopa. Estudamos as características clínicas das discinesias em 176 pacientes com diagnóstico de doença de Parkinson e tratados com levodopa. As discinesias ocorreram, em média, após 6,2 anos de duração da doença e após 4,2 anos de tratamento com levodopa. A maioria dos pacientes (90%) achava-se nos estágios II e III de Hoehn & Yahr por ocasião do início das discinesias. As discinesias mais frequentes foram as de "pico de dose" e "contínua". Movimento do tipo distônico ocorreu em 40% dos casos e predominou nas discinesias de "fim de dose" e "bifásica". Distonia matinal correspondeu a 35% dos casos de distonia. Movimentos coreiformes se manifestaram de forma generalizada em 43,2% dos casos. Movimentos distônicos predominaram nos membros inferiores. A discinesia, quando unilateral, ocorreu mais frequüentemente no hemicorpo mais comprometido pela doença de Parkinson. A discinesia orofacial, quando isolada, foi mais frequente nos pacientes mais idosos.<br>Dyskinesias are frequently observed in parkinsonian patients during levodopa treatment. The occurrence of these movement disorders usually makes the therapeutic management of the patients very difficult. The clinical characteristics of 176 patients with dyskinesias were retrospectively studied. Dyskinesias occurred, on average, after 6,2 years of duration of Parkinson's disease and after 4.2 years on treatment with levodopa. Patients were more likely to have dyskinesias during more advanced stages (measured by Hoehn and Yahr scale). Peak of dose and square wave were the types of dyskinesia more frequently described and were associated with choreic movements in most cases. Dystonia occurred in 40% of the cases and was predominant in end of dose and diphasic dyskinesias. Thirty-five percent of dystonia cases presented as "early morning dystonia". Chorea was the most frequent involuntary movement and mostly generalized. Dystonia was most commonly described in lower limbs. Orofacial dyskinesia, when occurred alone, was more frequently seen in old rather than young patients. When dyskinesia was unilateral it was more likely to occur in the side where Parkinson's disease was more severe

Restoration of the Dopamine Transporter through Cell Therapy Improves Dyskinesia in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease

The dyskinesia of Parkinson's Disease is most likely due to excess levels of dopamine in the striatum. The mechanism may be due to aberrant synthesis but also, a deficiency or absence of the Dopamine Transporter. In this study we have examined the proposition that reinstating Dopamine Transporter expression in the striatum would reduce dyskinesia. We transplanted c17.2 cells that stably expressed the Dopamine Transporter into dyskinetic rats. There was a reduction in dyskinesia in rats that received grafts expressing the Dopamine Transporter. Strategies designed to increase Dopamine Transporter in the striatum may be useful in treating the dyskinesia associated with human Parkinson's Disease