Increased writing activity in Parkinson's disease: a punding-like behavior?

Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2005 Aug;11(5):323-5. doi: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2005.02.009.

Abstract

We report a 32-year-old male patient with early-onset Parkinson's disease who exhibited abnormally increased writing activity. The patient displayed a disabling and pronounced increased writing activity, filling up to 10 pages or more per day in a notebook, and spending more than 12 h writing. In general, there was not much meaning in most of the writing, though there was a particular preference in tabulating the names of various sport and TV personalities. The writing activity gradually diminished following treatment with quetiapine hydrochloride, an anti-psychotic agent, at 25 mg/day. Although the pathophysiological mechanism underlying the increased writing is unclear, we believe it should be regarded as a form of punding or stereotyped behavior that has been suggested to be associated with dopaminergic therapy in Parkinson's disease.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antipsychotic Agents / administration & dosage
  • Dibenzothiazepines / administration & dosage
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Parkinson Disease / drug therapy
  • Parkinson Disease / physiopathology*
  • Quetiapine Fumarate
  • Stereotyped Behavior*
  • Writing*

Substances

  • Antipsychotic Agents
  • Dibenzothiazepines
  • Quetiapine Fumarate