title: Entacapone improves complex movement performance in patients with Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A possible strategy to prolong plasma metabolism of Levodopa/Carbidopa (LD/CD) is Entacapone addition (EN), which improves impaired motor behaviour in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Objectives were to evaluate the clinical response to an increased dopaminergic substitution with EN by clinical rating and assessment of complex motions and to investigate the change of movement in PD patients during repeat drug administration during an eight hour interval.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used peg insertion with a computer based device and clinical rating for assessment of motor function in 20 treated PD patients. They received LD/CD and then the same LD/CD dosage plus EN in a standardised, open label fashion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Motor scores and performance of the instrumental task were significantly better and the fluctuation of movement was less intense during the LD/CD/EN condition according to the motor test outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EN supplementation improves motor symptoms and provides a more continuous movement behaviour in PD patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, St. Josef Hospital, Ruhr University Bochum, Gudrunstrasse 56, 44791 Bochum, Germany. thomas.mueller@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Erdmann
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muhlack
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bremen
authors.forename: Horst
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Przuntek
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Woitalla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002396:Catechols / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009570:Nitriles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D002396:Catechols; D009570:Nitriles; C071192:entacapone