Impulse-control disorders in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, postural instability, and resting tremor. Increasingly, Parkinson's disease has been associated with a broad spectrum of non-motor symptoms, such as olfactory loss, sleep disorders, autonomic dysfunction, cognitive impairment, psychosis, depression, anxiety, and apathy. In addition, a minority of Parkinson's disease patients develop compulsive behaviors while receiving dopamine-replacement therapy, including medication hoarding, pathological gambling, binge eating, hyperlibidinous behavior, compulsive shopping, and punding. These behaviors may result in psychosocial impairment for patients and therapeutic challenges for clinicians. This article reviews the anatomic substrates, behavioral spectrum, associated factors, and potential treatments for dopamine-replacement therapy-related compulsions in Parkinson's disease.