Evaluation of the Role of the Noradrenergic System in Pain Perception in Parkinson's Disease
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2015-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Patients suffering from Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently experienced painful sensations
that could be, in part, due to a central modification of nociception mechanisms. Previous
studies have shown that pain perception was altered in Parkinson's disease (subjective and
objective pain thresholds and pain-induced cerebral activity) and that administration of
L-Dopa normalized this alteration. In the central nervous system, L-Dopa is converted in
dopamine and in norepinephrine. Apomorphine (a dopamine agonist) has no effect on pain
threshold and pain-induced cerebral activity. Therefore the noradrenergic system could be
involved in pain alteration in PD.
To assess the role of noradrenergic system in pain in patients with PD, we chose duloxetine
(norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake inhibitor)because a recent study had shown that
duloxetine allowed an improvement of pain clinical scores (pain questionnaires) in patients
with PD.
36 patients will be enrolled in this study. We supposed that a chronic intake of duloxetine
increase the pain perception level compare to the placebo. This increase would be the same
than those observed with L-Dopa.