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E-MOVE reports from the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of
Neurology, San Diego California, April 1-8, 2006. Poster, session, and page
numbers are from Neurology 2006;66 (supplement 2)


1. The prevalence of pathological gambling, hypersexuality, and compulsive
shopping in Parkinson's disease: A prospective study
V Voon, K Hassan, M Zurowski, S Duff-Canning, A Lang, M Hallett, J Miyasaki
PL01.003 (plenary session)

Compulsive behaviors are more common in PD patients on dopamine agonists than
those on levodopa alone, according to this study.

Questionnaires to assess pathological gambling, hypersexuality, and compulsive
shopping were administered to 296 PD patients at a movement disorders clinic.
Pathological gambling was seen in 10 patients (3.7%), including 6 males;
hypersexuality in 7 (2.4%), all male; and compulsive shopping in 2 (<1%),
both female. The prevalence of pathological gambling was double the number
expected based on population-wide surveys; reliable figures for the other
behaviors are not available. Compulsive behaviors were almost exclusively
seen in patients on dopamine agonists, either alone or in combination with
levodopa, without correlation to a specific agent. Hypersexuality was seen in
2 patients on levodopa monotherapy.

"Larger multi-center trials are required to definitively determine the
differences between PD patients and the general population," the principal
author said. "Nonetheless, patients and caregivers should be aware of these
commonly hidden behaviors."


2. Prevalence of pathological gambling in patients with Parkinson's disease
O Suchowersky, C Lu, A Bharmal, S Kraft, Z Kiss
S43.001, A313

Patients with a prior history of recreational gambling are at risk for
developing pathological gambling after starting a dopamine agonist, according
to this study.

Chart reviews and interviews of 188 patients were conducted to determine
presence of pathological gambling. Overall prevalence was 6% (12/188). All
patients were on dopamine agonist combination therapy, with no single agent
associated with increased risk. All patients with compulsive gambling had a
prior history of well-controlled recreational gambling.


3. Pathologic gambling among Parkinson residents in north-central Florida
HH Fernandez, MA Shapiro, YL Chang, SK Munson, CE Jacobson, RL Rodriguez, FM
Skidmore, M Okun
P01.150, A49

A survey on personality and gambling behavior was administered by mail or in
person to over 500 PD patients. Of the 142 patients who returned completed
surveys, pathological gambling was reported in 10, all of whom were on
dopamine agonists. There were 21 non-compulsive gamblers. Compulsive gamblers
were more likely to be younger, male, and have higher levels of anger or
anxiety.

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