title: Limitations of current Parkinson's disease therapy.
abstract: Levodopa and other dopaminergic medications drastically improve the motor symptoms and quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease in the early stages of the disease. However, once the "honeymoon" period has waned, usually after a few years of dopaminergic therapy, patients become progressively more disabled despite an ever more complex combination of available antiparkinsonian treatments. Sooner or later, they suffer from "dopa-resistant" motor symptoms (speech impairment, abnormal posture, gait and balance problems), "dopa-resistant" nonmotor signs (autonomic dysfunction, mood and cognitive impairment, sleep problems, pain) and/or drug-related side effects (especially psychosis, motor fluctuations, and dyskinesias). Therefore, the current antiparkinsonian therapy cannot be considered as ideal with regard to both efficacy and safety.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Investigation Centre and Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Toulouse, University Hospital France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rascol
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Payoux
authors.forename: Fabienne
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ory
authors.forename: Joaquim J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brefel-Courbon
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Montastruc
mesh_terms: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000145:classification / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004401:Dysarthria / Q000139:chemically induced; D004409:Dyskinesia, Drug-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D004599:Electric Stimulation Therapy / Q000379:methods; D005917:Globus Pallidus / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D011788:Quality of Life; D020531:Subthalamic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents