title: Disturbed intracortical excitability in early Parkinson's disease is l-DOPA dose related: a prospective 12-month paired TMS study.
abstract: We were interested to know if chronic l-DOPA treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients could restore impairment of the intracortical excitability, when this difference could occur, and if it was related to the total daily dose of l-DOPA. Twelve patients with early PD were studied using paired transcranial magnetic stimulation before the administration of l-DOPA, and then after 3, 6, and 12 months of l-DOPA treatment. The level of disturbed intracortical excitability strongly correlated with the total daily dose of l-DOPA. The level of cortical excitability in PD patients seems to be indirectly related to the nigro-striatal functioning.
authors: First Department of Neurology and the Movement Disorders Centre, Medical Faculty Masaryk University, St. Anne's Hospital, Pekarska 53, 656 91 Brno, Czech Republic. martin.bares@fnusa.cz
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Bares
authors: Petr
authors: P
authors: Kanovský
authors: Ivan
authors: I
authors: Rektor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D007980:Levodopa