Disturbed intracortical excitability in early Parkinson's disease is l-DOPA dose related: A prospective 12-month paired TMS study

We were interested to know if chronic l-DOPA treatment in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients could restore impairment of the intracortical excitability, when this difference could occur, and if it was related to the total daily dose of l-DOPA. Twelve patients with early PD were studied using paired transcranial magnetic stimulation before the administration of l-DOPA, and then after 3, 6, and 12 months of l-DOPA treatment. The level of disturbed intracortical excitability strongly correlated with the total daily dose of l-DOPA. The level of cortical excitability in PD patients seems to be indirectly related to the nigro-striatal functioning.