Apomorphine Effect on Nociceptive Perception in Parkinson's: a Clinical and Imaging Study

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2008-03-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently experienced painful sensations. We suppose that painful symptoms could be related to the neurotransmitter deficit of PD. So, we would like to evaluate the involvement of dopaminergic system in nociceptive processing in PD patients. The objectives of this study is to assess and to compare the effect of a dopamine agonist administration on the nociceptive threshold and on the cerebral activity using positrons emission tomography (PET scan) in two groups of PD patients (in 16 painful PD patients and in 16 pain free PD patients). We hypothesise that dopamine agonist could normalise nociceptive threshold and cerebral activity which were both abnormal in PD patients. Moreover, we think that painful PD patients could be more improved by dopamine agonist than pain free PD patients.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: University Hospital, Toulouse
• Treatments: Apomorphine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients suffering from Parkinson's disease

• PD patients with a Hoehn et Yahr < à 3 (Hoehn et Yahr 1967)

• PD patients treated by dopaminergic drugs (levodopa, dopamine agonist, IMAO-B, ICOMT…)

• Painful PD patients : PD patients suffering from chronic pain (> 3 months) which is related to PD and suggests neuropathic pain

• Pain free PD patients : PD patients without any pain related to PD.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with chronic disease resulting in chronic pain (severe arthosis….)

• PD patients with a Hoehn et Yahr stage > 3 (Hoehn et Yahr 1967)

• Patients with cancer

• Patients who underwent a PET scan in the last three months

• Pregnancy

• Patients with a contra indication of use of apomorphine or domperidone.