A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of antidepressants in Parkinson disease.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) in the treatment of depression in Parkinson disease (PD).

Methods: A total of 115 subjects with PD were enrolled at 20 sites. Subjects were randomized to receive an SSRI (paroxetine; n = 42), an SNRI (venlafaxine extended release [XR]; n = 34), or placebo (n = 39).

Safety and tolerability of high-dosage coenzyme Q10 in Huntington's disease and healthy subjects.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ(10)), a potential neuroprotective compound, was previously investigated at a dosage of 600 mg/day in Huntington's disease (HD) patients and demonstrated a trend toward slowing disease progression. Higher CoQ(10) dosages may prove beneficial. We investigated the tolerability and blood levels associated with 1,200, 2,400, and 3,600 mg/day of CoQ(10) in HD and healthy subjects.

The evolution of pharmacological treatment for Parkinson's disease.

Since the introduction of levodopa therapy in the 60's, there has yet to be a more efficacious drug identified for the symptomatic treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Perhaps more importantly, there has been little to no success finding agents that have proven effective in protecting against neurodegeneration. In fact, recent development efforts have been primarily directed at stabilizing the side effects (wearing off, drug-induced dyskinesias, motor fluctuations) that accompany prolonged levodopa therapy, such as catechol O-methyltransferase inhibiton to combat the side effects of levodopa therapy.

Sublingual atropine for sialorrhea secondary to parkinsonism: a pilot study.

Sialorrhea is a relatively common symptom in idiopathic Parkinson's disease and related conditions for which most of the accepted treatments are either highly invasive or may cause substantial systemic side effects. This study describes an open-label pilot study of sublingual atropine drops for the treatment of sialorrhea in 7 patients (6 with Parkinson's disease, 1 with progressive supranuclear palsy). Participants demonstrated statistically significant declines in saliva production, both objectively and subjectively.