Management of punding in Parkinson’s disease: an open-label prospective study
(Citations: 3)
Punding, a peculiar stereotyped behavior characterized by intense fascination with complex, excessive, non-goal-oriented,
repetitive activities, is a quite rare condition complicating Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is triggered by dopaminergic therapy
and could have a strong impact on patient quality of life. No study has specifically investigated medical management of this
condition, and only a few anecdotal reports have provided therapeutic hints. Given the suggested similarities to drug-induced
dyskinesias, we have previously suggested a multistep algorithm for management of punding. We conducted a prospective open-label
study on ten PD punders aimed at testing its validity. In two cases, reduction of levodopa therapy was efficacious; amantadine
was effective in controlling punding in four cases; in the remaining cases, quetiapine was employed, with mild efficacy in
two cases.