From Clinical Neurology News, 19 June 2013:
Many Parkinson’s disease centers performing deep brain stimulation surgery are not using formal, standardized screening for impulse control disorders in pre- or postsurgical patients, according to a large survey of Parkinson Study Group centers.
Deep brain stimulation surgery is known to increase impulsivity, and standard practice is to identify and treat impulse control disorders in patients before surgery, according to lead author Dr. Nawaz Hack, a junior fellow in movement disorders at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and his colleagues.
“Surgery will improve their motor symptoms, but it may make their impulsivity worse, especially if you don’t screen and appropriately identify it,” Dr. Hack said. “But if you catch it early through a standardized screening, you can address it.”
The researchers surveyed 48 Parkinson Study Group centers, 97% of which performed deep brain stimulation surgery and 67% of which said they served a population of over 500 patients a year.
The results showed that only 23% of sites employed a formal battery of tests for impulsive and compulsive behavior and that 7% did not report screening for impulse control disorders.
Speaking at a poster session at the international congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders, Dr. Hack said that the majority of sites were employing a more ad-hoc approach to screening for impulse control disorders, using questions that were not necessarily standardized. Read more.
Bianca Nogrady 