Meet a Researcher Aiming to Treat Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia

Many people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) use Levodopa, a dopamine-replacement medication, that helps improve quality of life. However, continuous use of levodopa often leads to new movement symptoms called levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID).

Dyskinesias in Parkinson’s disease are involuntary, erratic movements that can affect different parts of the body. It is estimated that more than 50% of people who take levodopa for PD symptoms develop LID, but the neurological reasons behind this phenomenon are still not well understood.

Jeroen Habets, MD, PhD, a recipient of a Parkinson’s Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, seeks to identify brain wave “biomarkers” of LID, highlighting regions of the brain that go awry during LID. Then, his study will use magnetic stimulation therapy to reduce or eliminate LID completely. 

“We are using a noninvasive recording technique to try and understand what happens at the surface of the brain during these periods where patients have dyskinesia,” said Dr. Habets. “We want to better understand what happens when they move involuntarily. We hope to understand better how the whole movement network functions in Parkinson’s disease and specifically this symptom.”

The patterns of neuron activation in the brain used to achieve tasks like movement, memory recall and much more can be observed and measured as brain waves. Different frequencies — the speed and intensity of the patterns — of brain waves are associated with different mental states and activities, such as the slow, calm delta waves of deep sleep or rapid, intense gamma waves of alertness and agitation.

From the lab of Andrea Kühn, MD, at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany, Dr. Habets uses a machine called a magneto-encephalograph to study participants with PD and visualize the brain wave activity that occurs during bouts of LID. 

By measuring each participant’s brain waves patterns and how they change during LID, Dr. Habets hopes to find regions in the brain that could be a target for treatment. His study will use non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which involves using guided magnetic waves to affect brain wave activity. 

Knowing what regions of the brain and which frequencies of brain waves are involved with LID could lead to personalized TMS treatments that alleviate debilitating levodopa side effects.

“During dyskinesia, some processes at the surface of the brain are more active than they should be or than they normally are,” said Dr. Habets. “Previous research showed that if you use magnetic stimulation, which is noninvasive and transmitted through a coil held over the head, you can give magnetic pulses to decrease activity at the surface of the brain and that patients over the hours afterwards developed less dyskinesia.”

Dr. Habets said finding a way to implement this treatment into patients’ daily lives is still a challenge, but researchers need to better understand dyskinesia to solve that problem.

He is hopeful about the potential of this research and grateful for the donors who make research grants like the one he received from the Parkinson’s Foundation possible.

“These donors are giving us time, giving us the opportunity to learn and to develop ourselves,” said Dr. Habets. “I think it has two big effects. There is a direct effect in the science that we do, but it is also growing careers. These funds, especially for young researchers, are very motivating grants to get and inspire us to move forward in our careers.”

 Meet more Parkinson’s researchers! Explore our My PD Stories featuring PD researchers.