SCIENTIFIC HUB

Follow the evidence.

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE · MED

Gait abnormalities and non-motor symptoms predict abnormal dopaminergic imaging in presumed drug-induced Parkinsonism.

NPJ Parkinsons Dis · 2022-04-28

DOI: 10.1038/s41531-022-00309-8PMID: 35484281

Open accessresearch-article; Journal ArticleOriginal source ↗

Research overview

The text below is the source article’s original abstract under a verified reuse license. cc by

Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) can be clinically indistinguishable from degenerative parkinsonism, and bedside assessments are needed to differentiate between these conditions. We examined 34 U.S. Veterans with DIP using 123I-FP-CIT (DAT-SPECT) to identify underlying nigrostriatal degeneration. Participants were 94% male with mean age of 64.5 ± 7.1 years. DAT-SPECT was abnormal in 12/34 (35%). Comparing normal and abnormal imaging groups, there were no differences in age, sex, race/ethnicity, psychiatric diagnosis, motor severity, or RBD Screening Questionnaire scores. Those with underlying neurodegeneration reported significantly more non-motor symptoms (NMS), worse olfactory function on the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test, and greater turning duration/steps on the instrumented Timed Up and Go. Area under the curve (AUC) combining poor olfaction and total NMS burden was 0.84 (CI 0.71-0.97), while AUC for turn steps was 0.91 (CI 0.81-1.00). Gait impairment, hyposmia, and NMS may be useful alone and in combination to identify DIP patients with underlying dopaminergic degeneration.

Scientific assessment

01

Research question

Assess the question within the original study’s scope.

02

Methods & sample

Check the source article for study design and sample details.

03

Key findings

An editorially approved findings summary is not yet published for this record.

04

Limitations

Generalizability, bias and clinical meaning require separate assessment.

Methods, samples and clinical conclusions are not inferred from bibliographic metadata.