Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Lemke, M. R. Articles by Reichmann, H. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Lemke, M. R. Articles by Reichmann, H. Parkinson's Disease

Anhedonia, Depression, and Motor Functioning in Parkinson’s Disease During Treatment With Pramipexole

Received April 24, 2002; revised August 4, 2003; accepted September 15, 2003. From the Center of Psychiatry and Neurology, Rhine Clinic Bonn, Germany; the University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany; the Medical Division, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma, Germany; the Department of Neurology, St. Josef-Hospital, University of Bochum, Bochum, Germany; and the Department of Neurology, Technical University of Dresden, Dresden, Germany. Address correspondence to Dr. Lemke, Rhine Clinic Bonn, Center of Psychiatry and Neurology, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 20, D-53111 Bonn; mr.lemke{at}lvr.de (E-mail).

Anhedonia, a core symptom of depression, correlates with motor alterations in major depressive disorder and has been assumed to be frequent in depressed patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, the authors assessed for the first time frequency of anhedonia in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (N=657) and the relationship of anhedonia and parkinsonian motor deficits during treatment with pramipexole. Mild depression was present in 47% of the patients and moderate to severe depression in 22%. Anhedonic individuals included 45.7% of all patients and 79.7% of depressed Parkinson's disease patients. Anhedonic Parkinson's disease patients had greater motor deficits, restrictions in activities of daily living, and depression compared to nonanhedonic patients. Frequency of anhedonia and depression was significantly reduced during treatment with pramipexole. Future studies should further investigate antianhedonic efficacy of dopamine agonists including pramipexole in depressed patients with Parkinson's disease.

Key Words: anhedonia • depression • Parkinson’s disease • dopamine agonist • pramipexole

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Almeida and G. Ranjith Using Pramipexole in Neuropsychiatry: A Cautionary Note J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci, November 1, 2006; 18(4): 556 - 557. [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2005 American Neuropsychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us