title: Use of the dopamine agonist cabergoline in the treatment of movement disorders.
abstract: Cabergoline is an ergot-derived dopamine agonist used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Both ergot and non-ergot-derived dopamine agonists directly stimulate dopamine receptors, unlike levodopa, which must undergo presynaptic breakdown to dopamine beforehand. Cabergoline has the longest half-life of the dopamine agonists currently available and is effective when given once-daily. It has been proposed that therapy with cabergoline may mimic physiological dopaminergic stimulation in PD by providing striatal intrasynaptic dopamine replacement. Its long half-life is likely to result in sustained rather than pulsatile dopaminergic stimulation, the preferred manner of treating PD. Placebo-controlled trials using cabergoline as an adjunctive therapy in PD have shown that it significantly reduces 'off' time, improves motor function and reduces levodopa requirements. Cabergoline has been shown to be as effective as other dopamine agonists in improving motor function as monotherapy in early PD, and a 5-year levodopa-controlled study indicates the superiority of cabergoline over levodopa in reducing dyskinesias. The efficacy of cabergoline in PD patients with nocturnal disabilities, restless leg syndrome and augmentation has also been demonstrated. Audits of the clinical efficacy of cabergoline indicate that it is well-tolerated and has an acceptable side effect profile.
authors.affiliation: Movement Disorders Unit, Mapother House, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, UK.
authors.forename: Aimee Di
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Marco
authors.forename: Linda S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Appiah-Kubi
authors.forename: K Ray
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077465:Cabergoline; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004873:Ergolines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D004873:Ergolines; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D000077465:Cabergoline