Effects of Non-PharmacologicalTreatments on Quality of Life in Parkinson’s Disease: A Review

Abstract

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative chronic condition with a declining trajectory and lack of a cure, making quality of life an important aspect of care. The purpose of this literature review was to analyze the state-of-the-science on the effects of non-pharmacological treatments on quality of life in person's with Parkinson's disease. Literature search was conducted using keywords in electronic databases up to September 1, 2016 and cross-searching the references of identified articles. Of the 259 articles generated, 26 met the eligibility criteria and were included in this review. The majority of studies (77%) were Level I evidence and 23% Level II evidence. The levels of study quality were: strong (50%), moderate (15%), and weak (35%). The interventions varied across studies with 15 studies evaluating a similar intervention. About 58% of the studies showed that the interventions improved quality of life. In conclusion, a variety of non-pharmacological interventions have been increasingly studied for their effects on quality of life in Parkinson's disease, showing initial promising results. However, most interventions were only examined by a limited number of studies and the minimal and optimal intervention doses needed for improving quality of life are yet unknown.

Piperine-Coated Gold Nanoparticles Alleviate Paraquat-Induced Neurotoxicity in Drosophila melanogaster

“…The ever-increasing cases of PD and lack of viable therapeutic answers to this long-term neuronal defect impose a big challenge to healthcare research. The current therapy against PD relies both on pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches with associated side effects. , However, the currently available therapy fails to halt degeneration of DA-ergic neurons and disease progression. Several pharmacological approaches involving both natural and/or synthetic compounds are being investigated for their therapeutic potential against PD. ,,, One of the natural compounds, piperine, displays neuroprotective effects via antiapoptotic, antioxidative, and anti-inflammatory functions but exhibits limited clinical application on account of poor water solubility .…”

Liposome-Derived Nanosystems for the Treatment of Behavioral and Neurodegenerative Diseases: The Promise of Niosomes, Transfersomes, and Ethosomes for Increased Brain Drug Bioavailability

“…Dopamine agonists are also used, with ergot dopamine agonists mainly acting on D2, D3, and D4 receptors (e.g., cabergoline, bromocriptine, and pergolide), and with non-ergot dopamine agonists acting more selectively on D2 or D3 receptors (e.g., ropinirole and pramipexole), with anticholinergics (e.g., benzhexol, orphenadrine, and benztropine), catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitors (e.g., entacapone, tolcapone, or opicapone), monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors (e.g., selegiline and rasagiline), and amantadine (N-methyl-D-aspartate-glutamate and cholinergic muscarinic receptor inhibitors) also being commonly prescribed [54][55][56]. Non-pharmacological treatments, such as physical exercise and physiotherapy (involving endurance, balance, strength, and coordination), along with cognitive training (memory and logical thinking), are also required in order to slow down the disease's progression [57,58]. Nevertheless, again, these treatments can only be effective in treating the symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease, and therapies that can slow down its progression or even cure it are still lacking [49,51,52].…”