Hypersecretory Disorders and Botulinum Toxin

An increase in the popularity of botulinum toxin for treatment of salivary gland disorders has been observed in recent years. Hyperhidrosis is characterized by excessive sweat production, beyond the required quantity to return increased body temperature to normal. Sialorrhoea is a common symptom in many neurodegenerative disorders. Hyperhidrosis and sialorrhea can cause both physical and psychosocial disability. Many reports on the use of botulinum toxin in hypersecretory disorders have shown favourable results with minimal side effects. (Archives of Neuropsychiatry 2010; 47 Supplement: 48-51

Treatment of behavioural symptoms and dementia in Parkinson's disease

Behavioural symptoms such as anxiety, depression and psychosis are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), and dementia occurs in about 90% of the patients. These symptoms can be more disabling than the motor dysfunction and they negatively impact quality of life, increase caregiver distress and are more frequently associated with nursing home placement. Depression can be treated with counselling and pharmacotherapy. Tricyclic antidepressants or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are widely used, but there is still need for controlled clinical trials. Management of psychosis in PD is complex and includes elimination of identifiable risk factors, reduction of polypharmacy and administration of atypical neuroleptics, which can alleviate psychotic symptoms without worsening motor functions. Clozapine is the best documented atypical neuroleptic shown to be effective against psychosis in PD patients. Cholinesterase inhibitors may prove additional benefit in psychotic PD patients. Recent evidence from small double-blind and open-label trials suggests that cholinesterase inhibitors may be effective in the treatment of dementia associated with PD

Evidence-based pharmacological treatment of dementia

The current literature on the pharmacological treatment of dementia was reviewed and the strength of evidence for the efficacy of each drug was categorized using an evidence-based approach. Acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors represent the only category of drugs with consistently demonstrable efficacy in well-designed studies of Alzheimer's disease, although the effect is not large. There is a lack of prospective, controlled, randomized studies for most of the nootropics. Epidemiological evidence suggests prophylactic effects of oestrogens and anti-inflammatory agents, and a single large-scale trial suggests that long-term administration of vitamin E or selegiline may be associated with improved outcome in patients with Alzheimer's disease. A number of drugs were reported to be effective in the treatment of non-cognitive symptoms of dementia including classical and atypical neuroleptics, antidepressants and anticonvulsants. The evidence for efficacy, however, is not strong for the majority of these compounds

Long-Term Effects Of Olanzapine in Various Movement Disorders

Objective: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the efficacy of olanzapine in long-term treatment in various hyperkinetic movement disorders

Unilateral Ablative Lesions of the Subthalamic Nucleus in Moderate-to-Advanced Parkinson's Disease

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has been reported to be effective in alleviating all parkinsonian motor symptoms and motor complications in moderate-to-advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). We have studied the effects of unilateral STN lesions on moderate-to-advanced PD

Dementia in Parkinson's disease

Dementia can occur in a substantial number of patients with Parkinson's disease with a point prevalence close to 30%. The cognitive profile is characterized by predominant deficits in executive, visuospatial functions, attention and memory. Behavioral symptoms are frequent such as apathy, visual hallucinations and delusions. The most prominent associated pathology is Lewy body-type and biochemical deficit is cholinergic. Placebo-controlled randomized trials with cholinesterase inhibitors demonstrated modest but significant benefits in cognition, behavioral symptoms and global functions. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved