Treatment of psychiatric disturbances in hypokinetic movement disorders

Introduction: We reviewed studies that assessed the treatment of psychiatric disturbances in Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonisms. Neuropsychiatric disturbances in these conditions are frequent and have a profound impact on quality of life of patients and of their caregivers. It is therefore important to be familiar with the appropriate pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for treating these disorders. Areas covered: The authors searched for papers in English in Pubmed using the following keywords: Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal degeneration, Lewy body dementia, depression, apathy, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, psychosis, hallucinations, delusions, impulse control disorders. Expert opinion: In Parkinson’s disease, depression may benefit from the optimization of dopaminergic therapy, from the use of antidepressants acting on both the serotoninergic and noradrenergic pathways and from cognitive behavioral therapy. Psychosis in Parkinson’s disease may improve with the use of clozapine; the serotonin inverse agonist pimavanserin has been shown to be effective. Treatment of impulse control disorders is primarily based on the removal of dopamine agonists. No controlled studies have investigated the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy or corticobasal degeneration. Acethylcholinesterase inhibitors may be used to treat hallucinations in Lewy body dementia.