Stereotatic radiosurgery for the treatment of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Stereotaxic Radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-invasive lesioning technique for movement disorders when patients cannot undergo DBS due to medical comorbidities. OBJECTIVE: To describe and summarize the literature on SRS's application and physical parameters for Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms. METHODS: The MEDLINE/PUBMED and EMBASE databases were searched in July 2022 following the PRISMA guideline. Two independent reviewers screened data from 425 articles. The level of evidence followed the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Pertinent details for each study regarding participants, physical parameters, and results were extracted. RESULTS: Twelve studies reported that 454 PD patients underwent Gamma KnifeⓇ (GK). The mean improvement time of the treated symptoms was three months after GK. Tremor is the most common symptom investigated, with success rates ranging from 47.5% to 93.9%. Few studies were conducted for caudatotomy (GKC) and pallidotomy (GKP), which presented an improvement for dyskinesia and bradykinesia. Physical parameters were similar with doses ranging from 110 to 200 Gy, use of a 4-mm collimator with an advanced imaging locator system, and coordinates were obtained from available stereotactic atlases. CONCLUSIONS: GK thalamotomy is a good alternative for treating tremor; however, its effects are delayed, and there are cases in which it can regress after years. The outcomes of GKC and GKP seem to be promising. The existing studies are more limited, and effects need to be better investigated.

Low-moderate dose whole-brain γ-ray irradiation modulates the expressions of glial fibrillary acidic protein and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinson's disease mouse model.

The anti-inflammatory efficacy of radiation therapy (RT) with single fractions below 1.0 Gy has been demonstrated in Alzheimer's disease mouse models. As neuroinflammation is also a major pathological feature of Parkinson's disease (PD), RT may also be effective in PD treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of low-moderate dose RT (LMDRT, 0.6 Gy/single dose, for 5 days) exposure in a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP; 30 mg/kg, intraperitoneally, for 5 consecutive days)-induced PD mouse model. Importantly, LMDRT reduced the levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (CD54) in the striatum region, which increased following MPTP administration. LMDRT also modulated inflammatory gene expression patterns in the substantia nigra region of the MPTP-treated mice. However, LMDRT had no direct effects on the severe loss of dopaminergic neurons and impaired motor behavior in the rotarod test. These results indicate that LMDRT has anti-inflammatory effects by modulating neuroinflammatory factors, including glial fibrillary acidic protein and intercellular adhesion molecule-1, but showed no behavioral improvements or neuroprotection in the MPTP-induced mouse model of PD.

Electromagnetic radiation therapy for Parkinson's disease tremor reduction- systematic reviews and Bayesian meta-analyses for comparing the effectiveness of electric, magnetic and light stimulation methods.

PURPOSE: Tremor is one of the key characteristics of Parkinson's disease (PD), leading to physical disabilities and often showing limited responses to pharmacological treatments. To suppress tremors in PD patients, several types of non-invasive and non-pharmacological methods have been proposed so far. In the current systematic review, three electromagnetic-based radiation strategies including electrical stimulation, magnetic stimulation, and light stimulation methods were reviewed and compared. METHODS: Major databases were searched to retrieve eligible studies. For the meta-analysis, a random-effect Bayesian framework was used. Also, heterogeneity between studies was assessed using I2 statistic, prediction interval, and tau2. Publication bias was assessed using funnel plot, and the effectiveness of methods for reducing tremor was compared using network Bayesian meta-analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Thirty-one studies were found for qualitative analysis, and 16 studies were found for quantitative synthesis. Based on the suppression ratio, methods can be ordered as electrical stimulation, light therapy, and magnetic stimulation. Furthermore, the results showed that electrical and magnetic stimulation were more effective for tremor suppression at early stages of PD, while light therapy was found to be more effective during the later stages of PD.

Longitudinal brain functional connectivity changes induced by neurosurgical thalamotomy for tremor in Parkinson's disease: a preliminary study.

The hypothesis that the effectiveness of neurosurgical procedures in Parkinson's disease (PD) would be related to connectivity dysfunctions between the site of the stimulation and other brain regions is growing. This study aimed to assess resting-state functional connectivity between thalamic ventral intermediate nucleus (Vim) and the rest of the brain before and after thalamotomy in PD. A 76-year-old right-handed woman with refractory tremor-dominant PD was selected as a candidate for left Vim radiosurgery thalamotomy. Clinical and motion sensor evaluation and brain resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) were carried out before treatment and 3, 6, and 12 months later. Targeted Vim was selected as region of interest and a seed-based rs-fMRI analysis was performed in the patient and ten age- and sex-matched controls at baseline and over time. Furthermore, a correlation analysis between functional connectivity and tremor data was carried out. Both clinical and motion sensor measurements showed a progressive tremor improvement over time on right side after radiosurgery. In the patient, seed-based analysis showed a significantly increased functional connectivity between targeted Vim and ipsilateral visual areas relative to controls before treatment. Over 1 year, a normalization of aberrant pre-therapeutic functional connectivity between Vim and visual areas was obtained. At correlation analysis, the reduction of tremor metrics over time, assessed by clinical evaluation and wearable motion sensors, was related to the reduction of the left Vim-left visual cortex functional connectivity. Our findings support the evidence that fMRI was able to detect targeted Vim connectivity and its changes over time after thalamotomy.

Remote Photobiomodulation Treatment for the Clinical Signs of Parkinson's Disease: A Case Series Conducted During COVID-19.

Objective: To assess whether remote application of photobiomodulation (PBM) is effective in reducing clinical signs of Parkinson's disease (PD). Background: PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure and few treatment options. There is a strong link between the microbiome-gut-brain axis and PD. PBM in animal models can reduce the signs of PD and protect the neurons from damage when applied directly to the head or to remote parts of the body. In a clinical study, PBM has been shown to improve clinical signs of PD for up to 1 year. Methods: Seven participants were treated with PBM to the abdomen and neck three times per week for 12 weeks. Participants were assessed for mobility, balance, cognition, fine motor skill, and sense of smell on enrolment, after 12 weeks of treatment in a clinic and after 33 weeks of home treatment. Results: A number of clinical signs of PD were shown to be improved by remote PBM treatment, including mobility, cognition, dynamic balance, spiral test, and sense of smell. Improvements were individual to the participant. Some improvements were lost for certain participants during at-home treatment, which coincided with a number of enforced coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic lockdown periods. Conclusions: Remote application of PBM was shown to be an effective treatment for a number of clinical signs of PD, with some being maintained for 45 weeks, despite lockdown restrictions. Improvements in clinical signs were similar to those seen with the application of remote plus transcranial PBM treatment in a previous study. Clinical Trial Registration number: U1111-1205-2035.

Exploring the Effect of Combined Transcranial and Intra-Oral Photobiomodulation Therapy Over a Four-Week Period on Physical and Cognitive Outcome Measures for People with Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: Neuroprotection against Parkinson's disease degeneration by photobiomodulation has been reported in animal models but no true placebo-controlled human studies have been published. OBJECTIVE: To understand if photobiomodulation therapy can produce clinically significant differences in physical performance measures in people with Parkinson's disease; and what frequency of treatment is necessary to initiate clinical change. METHODS: In a participant and assessor-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study, 22 participants received either sham and/or active laser photobiomodulation (904 nm, 60 mW/diode, 50 Hz) for 33 s to each of 21 points at the cranium and intra-orally, on one, two or three times/week for 4 weeks. Two treatment phases were separated by a 4-week wash-out (Phase 2). Upper and lower limb physical outcome measures were assessed before and after each treatment phase. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment was evaluated prior to treatment Phase 1, and at the end of treatment Phase 3. RESULTS: Montreal Cognitive Assessment remained stable between start and end of study. No measures demonstrated statistically significant changes. With regular treatment, the spiral (writing) test and the dynamic step test were most sensitive to change in a positive direction; and the 9-hole peg test demonstrated a minimum clinically important difference worthy of further investigation in a larger, adequately powered clinical trial. A placebo effect was noted. CONCLUSION: The results support the notion that combined transcranial and intra-oral photobiomodulation therapy needs to be applied at least 2 to 3 times per week for at least four weeks before some improvement in outcome measures becomes evident. Longer courses of treatment may be required.

Transcranial photobiomodulation in the management of brain disorders.

Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) is the process of delivering light photons through the skull to benefit from its modifying effect. Brain disorders are important health problems. The aim of this review was to determine the existing evidence of effectiveness, useful parameters, and safety of tPBM in the management of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Parkinson, and Alzheimer's disease as the common brain disorders. Four online databases, including Cochrane, Pub Med, Embase, and Google scholar were searched according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. 4728 articles were obtained in the initial search. Only those articles that were published until September 2020 and designed as randomized clinical trials (RCTs) or animal-controlled studies were included. 6 RCTs, 2 related supplementary articles, and 38 controlled animal studies met the inclusion criteria of this study. No RCTs were performed in the fields of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The human RCTs and animal studies reported no adverse events resulted from the use of tPBM. Useful parameters of tPBM were identified according to the controlled animal studies. Since the investigated RCTs had no homogenous results, making an evidence-based decision for definite therapeutic application of tPBM is still unattainable. Altogether, these data support the need for large confirmatory well-designed RCTs for using tPBM as a novel, safe, and easy-to-administer treatment of brain disorders. EVIDENCE BEFORE THIS STUDY: High prevalence and complications of brain disorders and also side effects of neuropsychiatric medications have encouraged researchers to find alternative therapeutic techniques which tPBM can be one of them. In present review we tried to determine the existing evidence of effectiveness, useful parameters, and safety of tPBM in the management of traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer, and Parkinson's disease as common brain disorders. Four online databases, including "Cochrane", "Pub Med", "Embase", and "Google scholar" were searched. Only those articles that were published until September 2020 and designed as RCTs or animal-controlled studies were included. Search keywords were the followings: transcranial photobiomodulation" OR "transcranial low-level laser therapy" AND "stroke" OR "traumatic brain injury" OR "Alzheimer" OR "Parkinson". Several studies have confirmed effectiveness of tPBM in treatment of different brain disorders but the level of evidence of its effectiveness remain to be determined. ADDED VALUE OF THIS STUDY: In this study we systematically reviewed human RCTs to determine the existing evidence of tPBM effectiveness in management of four mentioned brain disorders. Since the outcomes of the reviewed RCTs were not homogeneous, further well-designed RCTs are required to decide more definitively on the evidence of this noninvasive and probably safe therapeutic intervention. We hypothesized that non-homogeneous outcomes could be due to inefficiency of PBM parameters. Controlled animal studies have the advantage of using objective tests to evaluate the results and compare them with the control group. We determined useful tPBM parameters based on these studies. IMPLICATIONS OF ALL THE AVAILABLE EVIDENCE: This research is part of our main project of tinnitus treatment using photobiomodulation (PBM). Evidence of central nervous system involvement in tinnitus led us to believe that treatment protocol of tinnitus should also include transcranial PBM. The determined useful parameters can be helpful in designing more efficient tPBM protocols in the management of brain disorders and tinnitus as a common debilitating symptom that can be associated with these disorders.

Photobiomodulation for Parkinson's Disease in Animal Models: A Systematic Review.

Photobiomodulation (PBM) might be an effective treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD) in human patients. PBM of the brain uses red or near infrared light delivered from a laser or an LED at relatively low power densities, onto the head (or other body parts) to stimulate the brain and prevent degeneration of neurons. PD is a progressive neurodegenerative disease involving the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the substantia nigra deep within the brain. PD is a movement disorder that also shows various other symptoms affecting the brain and other organs. Treatment involves dopamine replacement therapy or electrical deep brain stimulation. The present systematic review covers reports describing the use of PBM to treat laboratory animal models of PD, in an attempt to draw conclusions about the best choice of parameters and irradiation techniques. There have already been clinical trials of PBM reported in patients, and more are expected in the coming years. PBM is particularly attractive as it is a non-pharmacological treatment, without any major adverse effects (and very few minor ones).

[Functional stereotactic radiosurgery: Indications and perspectives]. / Radiochirurgie fonctionnelle : indications et perspectives.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-invasive technique that enables to create brain focal lesions with a high precision and localization. Thus, functional brain disorders can be treated by SRS in case of pharmacoresistance or inoperability. To date, treatment of trigeminal neuralgia is the most described and known indication. Other indications will be developed in the future like movement disorders, refractory epilepsy, obsessive compulsive disorder and severe depression. We present here a review of actual and future indications of functional brain SRS with their level of evidence. All these SRS treatments have to be strictly conducted by trained teams with an excellent collaboration between radiation physicists, medical physicists, neurosurgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists and probably neuroradiologists.

Photobiomodulation Mitigates Cerebrovascular Leakage Induced by the Parkinsonian Neurotoxin MPTP.

The neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) is commonly used to model Parkinson's disease (PD) as it specifically damages the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. Recent studies in mice have, however, provided evidence that MPTP also compromises the integrity of the brain's vasculature. Photobiomodulation (PBM), the irradiation of tissue with low-intensity red light, mitigates MPTP-induced loss of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain, but whether PBM also mitigates MPTP-induced damage to the cerebrovasculature has not been investigated. This study aimed to characterize the time course of cerebrovascular disruption following MPTP exposure and to determine whether PBM can mitigate this disruption. Young adult male C57BL/6 mice were injected with 80 mg/kg MPTP or isotonic saline and perfused with fluorescein isothiocyanate FITC-labelled albumin at various time points post-injection. By 7 days post-injection, there was substantial and significant leakage of FITC-labelled albumin into both the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc; p < 0.0001) and the caudate-putamen complex (CPu; p ≤ 0.0003); this leakage partly subsided by 14 days post-injection. Mice that were injected with MPTP and treated with daily transcranial PBM (670 nm, 50 mW/cm2, 3 min/day), commencing 24 hours after MPTP injection, showed significantly less leakage of FITC-labelled albumin in both the SNc (p < 0.0001) and CPu (p = 0.0003) than sham-treated MPTP mice, with levels of leakage that were not significantly different from saline-injected controls. In summary, this study confirms that MPTP damages the brain's vasculature, delineates the time course of leakage induced by MPTP out to 14 days post-injection, and provides the first direct evidence that PBM can mitigate this leakage. These findings provide new understanding of the use of the MPTP mouse model as an experimental tool and highlight the potential of PBM as a therapeutic tool for reducing vascular dysfunction in neurological conditions.

"Buckets": Early Observations on the Use of Red and Infrared Light Helmets in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Background: Parkinson's disease is a well-known neurological disorder with distinct motor signs and non-motor symptoms. Objective: We report on six patients with Parkinson's disease that used in-house built photobiomodulation (PBM) helmets. Methods: We used "buckets" lined with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of wavelengths across the red to near-infrared range (i.e., 670, 810, and 850 nm; n = 5) or an homemade intranasal LED device (660 nm; n = 1). Progress was assessed by the patients themselves, their spouse, or their attending medical practitioners. Results: We found that 55% of the initial signs and symptoms of the six patients showed overall improvement, whereas 43% stayed the same and only 2% got worse. We also found that PBM did not target a specific sign or symptom, with both motor and nonmotor ones being affected, depending on the patient. Conclusions: In summary, our early observations are the first to note the impact of PBM on patients' signs and symptoms over an extended period, up to 24 months, and lays the groundwork for further development to clinical trial.

Radiosurgical Subthalamic Nucleotomy.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is the reference technique in Parkinson's disease (PD) at different stages of complications. Some patients cannot afford DBS due to anticoagulation or comorbidities or due to pecuniary reasons. Radiosurgery is a minimally invasive stereotactic technique, with no craniotomy and subsequently no risk of bleeding or infection. Its good safety efficacy profile has been established in the treatment of tremor, and the postoperative care issues are simple with a much shorter hospital stay (mean 48 h). The application of radiosurgery to STN target in PD as an alternative to DBS is being debated. The lesion of the STN is presumed to induce hemiballism. Experimental works suggest a potential lower risk of hemiballism in animal models of PD. However, radiofrequency ablation of the STN is associated with a significant rate of severe dyskinesia, sometimes permanent and severe enough to request salvage pallidotomies. The positive experience of VIM radiosurgery in tremor and its capacity to create precise, accurate and well-controlled lesions provides reasonable rationale for the evaluation of this technique when applied to STN in PD. Preliminary results till date have shown the absence of severe permanent dyskinesia. Prospective controlled trials are mandatory to evaluate the safety efficacy of this technique in PD.

Diffusion tractography imaging-guided frameless linear accelerator stereotactic radiosurgical thalamotomy for tremor: case report.

Essential tremor and Parkinson's disease-associated tremor are extremely prevalent within the field of movement disorders. The ventral intermediate (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus has been commonly used as both a neuromodulatory and neuroablative target for the treatment of these forms of tremor. With both deep brain stimulation and Gamma Knife radiosurgery, there is an abundance of literature regarding the surgical planning, targeting, and outcomes of these methodologies. To date, there have been no reports of frameless, linear accelerator (LINAC)-based thalomotomies for tremor. The authors report the case of a patient with tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease, with poor tremor improvement with medication, who was offered LINAC-based thalamotomy. High-resolution 0.9-mm isotropic MR images were obtained, and simulation was performed via CT with 1.5-mm contiguous slices. The VIM thalamic nucleus was determined using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)-based segmentation on FSL using probabilistic tractography. The supplemental motor and premotor areas were the cortical target masks. The authors centered their isocenter within the region of the DTI-determined target and treated the patient with 140 Gy in a single fraction. The DTI-determined target had coordinates of 14.2 mm lateral and 8.36 mm anterior to the posterior commissure (PC), and 3 mm superior to the anterior commissure (AC)-PC line, which differed by 3.30 mm from the original target determined by anatomical considerations (15.5 mm lateral and 7 mm anterior to the PC, and 0 mm superior to the AC-PC line). There was faint radiographic evidence of lesioning at the 3-month follow-up within the target zone, which continued to consolidate on subsequent scans. The patient experienced continued right upper-extremity resting tremor improvement starting at 10 months until it was completely resolved at 22 months of follow-up. Frameless LINAC-based thalamotomy guided by DTI-based thalamic segmentation is a feasible method for achieving radiosurgical lesions of the VIM thalamus to treat tremor.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Intractable Tremor-Dominant Parkinson Disease: A Retrospective Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the outcomes of stereotactic radiosurgery for patients suffering from medically refractory Parkinson disease (PD) tremor. METHODS: We retrospectively studied the outcomes of 33 patients who were treated with gamma knife thalamotomy (GKT) over a 19-year period. Twelve patients were ≥80 years. A median dose of 140 Gy (range, 130-150 Gy) was delivered to the nucleus ventralis intermedius through a single 4-mm isocenter. We used the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin clinical tremor rating scale to score tremor, handwriting, drawing, and ability to drink fluids. The median time to the last follow-up was 23 months (range, 9-144 months). RESULTS: After GKT, 31 patients (93.9%) experienced improvement in tremor. Twenty-three patients (70.0%) had complete or nearly complete tremor arrest. Nine patients (27.2%) noted tremor arrest and resolution of impairment in writing, drawing, and ability to drink fluids. One patient (3%) improved in bradykinesia, 3 patients (9%) improved in rigidity, and 3 patients (9%) decreased their dosage of dopa after GKT. Tremor relief was fully maintained in the last follow-up for 96.8% of responding patients. Two patients (6%) experienced temporary adverse radiation effects. CONCLUSIONS: GKT is a safe and effective treatment for medically refractory PD tremor, especially for the elderly or those not suitable for deep brain stimulation or thermal thalamotomy.

Margin of error for a frameless image guided radiosurgery system: Direct confirmation based on posttreatment MRI scans.

PURPOSE: To report on radiosurgery delivery positioning accuracy in the treatment of tremor patients with frameless image guided radiosurgery using the linear accelerator (LINAC) based ExacTrac system and to describe quality assurance (QA) procedures used. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between 2010 and 2015, 20 patients underwent radiosurgical thalamotomy targeting the ventral intermediate nucleus for the treatment of severe tremor. The median prescription dose was 140 Gy (range, 120-145 Gy) in a single fraction. The median maximum dose was 156 Gy (range, 136-162 Gy). All treatment planning was performed with the iPlan system using a 4-mm circular cone with multiple arcs. Before each treatment, QA procedures were performed, including the imaging system. As a result of the extremely high dose delivered in a single fraction, a well-defined circular mark developed on the posttreatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Eight of these 20 patients were selected to evaluate treatment localization errors because their circular marks were available in posttreatment MRI. In this study, the localization error is defined as the distance between the center of the intended target and the center of the posttreatment mark. RESULTS: The mean error of distance was found to be 1.1 mm (range, 0.4-1.5 mm). The mean errors for the left-right, anteroposterior, and superoinferior directions are 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, and 0.7 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The result reported in this study includes all tremor patients treated at our institution when their posttreatment MRI data were available for study. It represents a direct confirmation of target positioning accuracy in radiosurgery with a LINAC-based frameless system and its limitations. This level of accuracy is only achievable with an appropriate QA program in place for a LINAC-based frameless radiosurgery system.

Photobiomodulation Suppresses Alpha-Synuclein-Induced Toxicity in an AAV-Based Rat Genetic Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Converging lines of evidence indicate that near-infrared light treatment, also known as photobiomodulation (PBM), may exert beneficial effects and protect against cellular toxicity and degeneration in several animal models of human pathologies, including neurodegenerative disorders. In the present study, we report that chronic PMB treatment mitigates dopaminergic loss induced by unilateral overexpression of human α-synuclein (α-syn) in the substantia nigra of an AAV-based rat genetic model of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this model, daily exposure of both sides of the rat's head to 808-nm near-infrared light for 28 consecutive days alleviated α-syn-induced motor impairment, as assessed using the cylinder test. This treatment also significantly reduced dopaminergic neuronal loss in the injected substantia nigra and preserved dopaminergic fibers in the ipsilateral striatum. These beneficial effects were sustained for at least 6 weeks after discontinuing the treatment. Together, our data point to PBM as a possible therapeutic strategy for the treatment of PD and other related synucleinopathies.

Single versus multiple impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease: an ¹¹C-raclopride positron emission tomography study of reward cue-evoked striatal dopamine release.

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) are reported in Parkinson's disease (PD) in association with dopaminergic treatment. Approximately 25 % of patients with ICDs have multiple co-occurring ICDs (i.e. more than one diagnosed ICD). The extent to which dopaminergic neurotransmission in PD patients with multiple ICDs differs from those with only one diagnosed ICD is unknown. The aims of this study are: (1) to investigate dopamine neurotransmission in PD patients diagnosed with multiple ICDs, single ICDs and non-ICD controls in response to reward-related visual cues using positron emission tomography with (11)C-raclopride. (2) to compare clinical features of the above three groups. PD individuals with mulitple ICDs (n = 10), single ICD (n = 7) and no ICDs (n = 9) were recruited and underwent two positron emission tomography (PET) scans with (11)C-raclopride: one where they viewed neutral visual cues and the other where they viewed a range of visual cues related to different rewards. Individuals with both multiple ICDs and single ICDs showed significantly greater ventral striatal dopamine release compared to non-ICD PD individuals in response to reward cues, but the two ICD groups did not differ from each other in the extent of dopamine release. Subjects with multiple ICDs were, however, significantly more depressed, and had higher levels of impulsive sensation-seeking compared to subjects with single ICDs and without ICDs. This is the first study to compare dopamine neurotransmission using PET neuroimaging in PD subjects with multiple vs. single ICDs. Our results suggest that striatal dopamine neurotransmission is not directly related to the co-occurrence of ICDs in PD, potentially implicating non-dopaminergic mechanisms linked to depression; and suggest that physicians should be vigilant in managing depression in PD patients with ICDs.