Dopamine dysregulation syndrome in non-Parkinson's disease patients: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES

To explore the presence of dopamine dysregulation syndrome in non-Parkinson's disease patients receiving dopamine replacement therapy.

METHODS

Electronic searches were conducted of Medline, Embase, PsycINFO and PreMedline to capture articles related to dopamine misuse or factitious disorder combined with the presence of dopamine replacement therapy or a non-Parkinson's disease population. In total, 430 articles were reviewed and studies that addressed dopamine dysregulation syndrome in non-Parkinson's disease patients were included.

RESULTS

Nine case reports were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

The pathophysiology underlying dopamine dysregulation syndrome has been thoroughly explored with numerous mechanisms posited. What remains unclear is whether dopamine dysregulation syndrome is a phenomenon specific to Parkinson's disease, as indicated in the proposed diagnostic criteria. A more useful predictor of susceptibility to dopamine dysregulation syndrome may be temperamental traits such as novelty seeking and impulsivity, which overlap with predisposing factors for an addiction disorder.