When Less Is More: Balancing Parkinson’s Treatment & Behavioral Risk

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders in the U.S., affecting 1.1 million individuals. In PD, dopamine-producing neurons progressively die, causing motor and nonmotor symptoms. First-line treatment for motor symptoms in PD includes medications that increase the activity of dopamine in the brain (by acting as prodrugs to dopamine, increasing dopamine release or blocking its breakdown, or activating dopamine receptors). Notably, dopaminergic medications are known to cause impulse control disorders, including hypersexuality, for which men are at higher risk.