Treatment of Dopamine-Induced Freezing of Gait in Parkinson's Disease with Deep Brain Stimulation: A Case Report and Literature Review
Abstract：Objective To investigate the efficacy and mechanism of deep brain stimulation (DBS) combined with dopamine reduction in the treatment of dopamine-induced freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on a patient who was diagnosed as dopamine-induced freezing of gait through a levodopa challenge test. Bilateral electrodes were implanted into the substantia nigra pars reticulata-subthalamic nucleus-zona incerta (SNr-STN-Zi). Subthalamic nucleus (STN) single-core high-frequency stimulation (130 Hz, 60 µs) was used, along with a reduction in dopaminergic medication. The main outcome measures were the new freezing of gait questionnaire (NFOGQ) score and the MDS unified-Parkinson disease rating scale part III (MDS-UPDRS III) score. Results Three months post-surgery, the levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD) decreased from 825 mg to 600 mg (a reduction of 27%). The NFOGQ score decreased from 22 to 6 points (an improvement of 72.7%), and the MDS-UPDRS-III off-score decreased from 37 to 12 points (an improvement of 67.6%), while the on-score decreased from 20 to 7 points (an improvement of 65.0%). The patient's freezing of gait during the on-state was basically eliminated, with no falls reported. Conclusion Freezing of gait is a relatively difficult symptom to manage in Parkinson's disease. For dopamine-induced freezing of gait, DBS surgery can be considered when drug adjustment is challenging.
Keywords：Parkinson's diseaseFreezing of gaitDeep brain stimulation
Publication Date：2025-10-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-01(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 615-619 )