This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Several years ago, Eric Ahlskog published a colorful and cogent review entitled “Beating a dead horse.” He argued that “we have reached the point of diminishing therapeutic returns with drugs acting on dopamine systems and more dopaminergic medications will provide only modest incremental benefit over current therapies.”1 Ahlskog argued correctly that excessive focus on dopaminergic features and pathology led to neglect of crucial nondopaminergic/nonmotor clinical features and pathologies. This argument was based, in part, on the perception that most of the nonmotor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson disease (PD) would be related to degeneration in nondopamine responsive systems and that improvements in dopaminergic therapy would have little impact on NMS. Accumulated evidence now indicates the need to modify this concept.
Footnotes
See page 800
- © 2013 American Academy of Neurology
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
- Response to Ahlskog
- Dopaminergic treatment of non-motor Parkinson's disease symptoms
REQUIREMENTS
If you are uploading a letter concerning an article:
You must have updated your disclosures within six months: http://submit.neurology.org
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.