Investigating the role of nicotinic neuromodulation in levodopa-induced dyskinesias – a multimodal study.

Parkinson’sdisease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized mainly byinvoluntary movements in the form of tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia andpostural instability. As of now, there is no permanent cure to this conditiondescribed in the medical literature till date. Even the most effective medication available today (levodopa) can havevery disabling side effects. Many patients receiving treatment for Parkinson’sdisease experience abnormal involuntary movements (levodopa-induced dyskinesias, LID), which isone of the major side effects of the medication they take. In this study, we willinvestigate the cause of such abnormal involuntary movements that occur inParkinson’s disease patients during the course of the treatment. We want tounderstand why this side effect occurs and if nicotine can be used to preventits occurrence or reduce its severity.Wewill determine the structural and functional changes in the brain caused bynicotine skin patch using several non-invasive methods such as transcranialmagnetic stimulation, electroencephalography, and magnetic resonance imagingand correlate them with clinical and behavioral measures. We expect that theresults of this study will help us to understand the disease better and improvecurrent treatment options.