Novelty-Seeking in Parkinson's Disease After Deep Brain Stimulation of the Subthalamic Nucleus: A Case–Control Study

BackgroundThe prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in Parkinson's disease (PD) is about 50%.ObjectiveThe authors investigated differences among PD patients treated by deep brain stimulation (DBS), by drugs alone (noDBS), and healthy control subjects.MethodSamples of 22 subjects in each group were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and Hamilton scales for anxiety and depression (Ham–A and Ham–D).ResultsHigher scores emerged on two Novelty-Seeking subscales in PD–DBS patients. Ham–A and Ham–D scores were lower in PD–DBS patients than in PD–noDBS patients and control subjects. Rigidity and non-impulsiveness were lower in PD–DBS than in PD–noDBS patients.ConclusionFurther studies should investigate whether or not these changes in personality are a consequence of the motor and depression improvement after DBS.