title: Bradykinesia in early and advanced Parkinson's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Motor impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) includes slowness (bradykinesia), decreased amplitude (hypokinesia), impaired rhythm and a progressive reduction in speed and amplitude during movement repetition (sequence effect). In the present study we aimed to analyse bradykinesia features in newly-diagnosed and drug-näive patients with PD. Kinematic data were compared with PD patients in the advanced stages of the disease and with healthy controls. We also investigated the effect of selegiline on motor impairment in early PD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen newly-diagnosed and drug-näive PD patients in the early stage of the disease, 11 patients with advanced PD and 20 healthy controls performed a repetitive finger tapping task. Early PD patients were assessed in two separate sessions at baseline and four weeks after treatment with selegiline (10 mg taken daily). The repetitive finger movement was analysed using kinematic techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The speed and amplitude of repetitive finger movement were lower in early PD patients than in healthy controls. Early PD patients also had a progressive decrement of movement amplitude (sequence effect). Patients with advanced PD had lower speed, amplitude and movement regularity during finger tapping in comparison to early PD and healthy controls but no sequence effect. In early PD, selegiline improved both the movement speed and amplitude though it did not influence the sequence effect.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study yields an objective characterization of motor impairment in early and advanced PD. The kinematic assessment of the effects of selegiline on movement abnormalities in early PD provides a better understanding and interpretation of their pathophysiological mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Neuromed Institute IRCCS, Pozzilli, (IS), Italy; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bologna
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leodori
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stirpe
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Paparella
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Donato
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Colella
authors.affiliation: Neuromed Institute IRCCS, Pozzilli, (IS), Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Belvisi
authors.affiliation: Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Clinic and the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease, Toronto Western Hospital, UHN, Division of Neurology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fasano
authors.affiliation: Neuromed Institute IRCCS, Pozzilli, (IS), Italy; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fabbrini
authors.affiliation: Neuromed Institute IRCCS, Pozzilli, (IS), Italy; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy. Electronic address: alfredo.berardelli@uniroma1.it.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berardelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018476:Hypokinesia / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D012642:Selegiline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D012642:Selegiline
keywords: Parkinson’s disease; bradykinesia; kinematic analysis; motor control