Potenciales evocados somatosensoriales y respuesta sintomática a medicamentos dopaminérgicos en enfermedad de Parkinson / Somatosensory evoked potentials and sintomatic response to dopaminergic drugs in Parkinson's disease

Short latency somatosensory evoked potentials were measured in 10 patients with Parkinson's disease before and after tha administration of Apomorphine 5 mg sc. Eight of these subjects were reassessed after one month of treatment with Levo-dopa. These potentials were measured in other nine subjects before and after one month of treatment with Selegiline 10 mg od. There was a significant increase of frontal potential N30 in nine of 10 subjects that received apomorphine, in seven of 8 patients treated with Levodopa and 7 of 9 patients treated with Selegiline. No changes in N20 parietal potential were observed. During apomorphine test, changes in N30 potential preceded clinical improvement in 6 patients and occurred simultaneously in 3 patients. No changes with apomorphine in N30 potential were observed in 2 healthy males. There was no relationship between electrophysiological changes and duration of disease or motor fluctuations. It is concluded that short latency somatosensory evoked potentials are an objective means of measuring dopaminergic response in patients with Parkinson's disease

Parkinsonismo: aspéctos clínicos, biológicos e terapêuticos / Parkinsonism: clinical, biological and therapeutical aspects

O parkinsonismo idiopático (doença de Parkinson) e secundário, ou seja, que apresenta etiologia conhecida (pós-encefalítico, por toxinas, por drogas ou por algumas doenças degenerativas) såo processos neurodegenerativos que afetam progressivamente as funçÆes motoras normais do indivíduo. Neste trabalho, os aspéctos clínicos, etiológicos, fisiopatológicos e principalmente a descriçåo do arsenal farmacológico e as medidas utilizadas no combate ou retardo medicamentoso do parkinsonismo såo abordados e discutidos