Binge Eating in Parkinson's Disease: Prevalence, Correlates and the Contribution of Deep Brain Stimulation

Abstract

Of 96 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients at the University of Florida Movement Disorders Center, one (1%) met diagnostic criteria for binge eating disorder (BED). Eight (8.3%) exhibited subthreshold BED. Psychometric criteria classified problem gambling in 17.8%, hoarding in 8.3%, buying in 11.5%, hypersexuality in 1.0%, and mania in 1.0% of patients. More overeaters met psychometric criteria for at least one additional impulse control disorder (67% vs. 29%). No more overeaters than non-overeaters were taking a dopamine agonist (44% vs. 41%). More overeaters had a history of subthalamic DBS (44% vs. 14%). History of DBS was the only independent predictor of overeating.

Body weight and food intake in Parkinson's disease. A review of the association to non-motor symptoms

“…Moreover, while in men gain seems principally due to an increase in lean mass, in women it is essentially due to fat mass (Montaurier et al, 2007). For what concerns impulsive eating after DBS, Zahodne et al (2011) identified a history of subthalamic nucleus DBS surgery in a sample of 96 PD patients as the only significant predictor of binge-eating, and a trend for an association between subthalamic nucleus DBS and being an overeater. However, as the authors did not compare binge eating before and after surgery, it cannot be concluded that DBS induced binge eating in these patients.…”

“…Vitale et al (2011) described 12 patients with compulsive eating, 11 of whom developed this condition after the diagnosis, while one had a history of pathological eating that worsened after the DA therapy. Zahodne et al (2011) evaluated binge eating, as defined by the DSM-IV, in 98 patients with PD and found that, on the Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale, one of them met full diagnostic criteria for Binge Eating Disorder BED (1%), while additional eight patients (8.3%) exhibited subthreshold binge eating. Both PD patients with and without Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) were included in this sample.…”

Diagnosis and treatment of impulse control disorders in patients with movement disorders

“…Time consumed by sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors repetitively interferes with other important (nonsexual) goals, activities and obligations Repetitively engaging in sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors in response to dysphoric mood states Repetitively engaging in sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors in response to stressful life events Repetitive but unsuccessful efforts to control or significantly reduce these sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors Repetitively engaging in sexual behaviors while disregarding the risk for physical or emotional harm to self or others There is clinically significant personal distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning associated with the frequency and intensity of these sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors These sexual fantasies, urges or behaviors are not due to the direct physiological effect of an exogenous substance such as a drug of abuse or medication Abnormal behaviors are different from previous behavior and include excessive masturbation, using pornography, sexual behavior with consenting adults, cybersex, telephone sex, strip clubs, use of sex trade workers Initial studies of ICDs in PD [Pontone et al 2006;Weintraub et al 2006;Grosset et al 2011;Isaias et al 2008;Singh et al 2007;Voon et al 2006] reported a prevalence of 2.2-28.0% for PG [Weintraub et al 2006;Isaias et al 2008], 2.0-11.0% for HS Singh et al 2007], 0.4-6.4% for CS Weintraub et al 2009] and 1-4.5% for CE [Zahodne et al 2011;Weintraub et al 2009]. It is important to recognize that these estimates were obtained with heterogeneous study designs, sample sizes, diagnostic criteria and ascertainment methods.…”

Cognitive and Psychiatric Aspects of Parkinson’s Disease

“…The prevalence of obsessive eating or binge-eating among patients with PD was 1% in a recent analysis while subthreshold binge eating was diagnosed in about 8% (Zahodne et al, 2011). However, in a cross-sectional study with 3000 patients with PD binge eating was diagnosed in 5.6% (Antonini & Cilia, 2009).…”