Managing Depression in Parkinson’s Patients: Risk Factors and Clinical Pearls

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative condition that is on the rise as the world's population ages. As our understanding of the disease increases, depression has emerged as a common syndrome in this population that significantly reduces quality of life, making its understanding, recognition and treatment an important area of focus for clinicians and researchers alike. It is hypothesized that depression is a consequence of the disease process itself, sometimes developing prior to the onset of motor symptoms. Many of the diagnostic tools and treatments for depression have not been fully evaluated in the PD population. However, several traditional diagnostic interviews and depression rating scales have been used in recent clinical trials. These study results suggest that some of the currently available antidepressant medications may be effective and well tolerated in this population. This paper reviews our understanding of depression in PD as well as the current recommendations for its diagnosis and treatment.

Therapeutic Potential of Genipin in Central Neurodegenerative Diseases

“…It is hypothesized that depression is a consequence of the disease process itself, sometimes developing prior to the onset of motor symptoms or cognitive symptoms. Recent studies have suggested that some of the currently available antidepressant medications may be effective and well tolerated in PD population [53], and clinical trial data support that antidepressants have the potential to treat AD. Antidepressants are reported to regulate stem cell fate to regenerate neurons in the adult hippocampus and are effective in reducing toxic amyloid peptides and are known to increase neurotrophic factors such as the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) [54].…”