title: Beneficial effect of levodopa therapy on stooped posture in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designated to quantitatively evaluate the effect of levodopa on spinal posture in patients with PD using a computer-assisted handheld SpinalMouse device.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective case-study involving 48 patients with definite PD. All patients were recruited between September 2011 and September 2013 and included 22 dopa-naïve, evaluated before and 3 months after initiation of treatment, and 26 patients with response fluctuations studied during the "off" and "on" states. The SpinalMouse instrument, a computer-assisted mechanical hand-held device, designed to noninvasively assess the curvature of the spine was guided along the midline of the vertebral column in upright, full flexion, and full extension positions to objectively assess spinal posture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the dopa-naïve patients, spinal incline in the upright position was 12.4±1.2° before and 7.6±1.3° after treatment; p=0.002. Corresponding area-under-the-curve (AUC) values were 131.7±8.0 cm(2) and 87.1±7.3 cm(2); p<0.0001. In the response fluctuations patients, spinal incline was 13.3±1.3° in the "off" and 9.3±1.2° in the "on" period; p=0.015. Corresponding AUC values were 144.6±9.2 cm(2) and 103.1±8.2 cm(2); p<0.0001.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study that objectively measured and quantified abnormalities of spinal posture in patients with PD. Findings suggest that levodopa does have a beneficial effect on anterior flexion of the thoracolumbar spine, and thus indicate that the disorder of stooped posture in PD is mediated, at least in part, by dopamine deficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benninger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khlebtovsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaniv
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Roditi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Ofir
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Keret
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Israel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel.
authors.forename: Eldad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Melamed
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Hospital, Petach Tikva, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 49100, Israel. Electronic address: ruthdjal@clalit.org.il.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Djaldetti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000978:Antiparkinson Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007980:Levodopa / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000978:Antiparkinson Agents; D007980:Levodopa
keywords: Fluctuations; Levodopa; Posture; SpinalMouse