The effect of L-Dopa administration on pursuit ocular movements in suspected Parkinson's disease

Neurol Sci. 2010 Jun;31(3):381-5. doi: 10.1007/s10072-009-0180-1. Epub 2009 Nov 19.

Abstract

The objective of this study is to evaluate pursuit ocular movements (POM) by using a vision-based non-intrusive eye tracker, in patients with suspected Parkinson's disease (PD), before and after L: -Dopa administration. We studied ten patients with suspected diagnosis of idiopathic PD. We compared POM values to those of a group of normal controls (NC), and evaluated them before and after L: -Dopa administration. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor subscores improved significantly (p = 0.001). At baseline, values of POM were lower in suspected PD patients than in NC (p = 0.01). One hour after L: -Dopa administration, POM values correlated with UPDRS motor subscore (p = 0.01). We used a recent method, a new vision-based non-intrusive eye tracker, previously described, which can be proposed as a possible tool for supporting the diagnosis of PD in association with levodopa test, as an add-on to the UPDRS score.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antiparkinson Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Case-Control Studies
  • Eye Movement Measurements
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Levodopa / therapeutic use*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy*
  • Parkinson Disease / physiopathology
  • Pursuit, Smooth / drug effects*
  • Pursuit, Smooth / physiology
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antiparkinson Agents
  • Levodopa