Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 5;22(1):169.
doi: 10.1186/s12883-022-02668-4.

Clinical uses of Bupropion in patients with Parkinson's disease and comorbid depressive or neuropsychiatric symptoms: a scoping review

Matteo Vismara  1   2 , Beatrice Benatti  3   4 , Gregorio Nicolini  3 , Ilaria Cova  5 , Edoardo Monfrini  6 , Alessio Di Fonzo  7 , Vincenza Fetoni  8 , Caterina A Viganò  3 , Alberto Priori  4   9 , Bernardo Dell'Osso  3   4   10   11
Affiliations

Clinical uses of Bupropion in patients with Parkinson's disease and comorbid depressive or neuropsychiatric symptoms: a scoping review

Matteo Vismara et al. BMC Neurol. .

Abstract

Objective: Bupropion, an antidepressant inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine and noradrenaline, should be useful to treat depressive symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Limited and conflicting literature data questioned its effectiveness and safety in depressed PD patients and extended its use to other neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with this disorder.

Design: The databases PubMed, Embase, Web of Sciences, Cochrane Library, and the grey literature were searched. Following a scoping review methodology, articles focusing on Bupropion uses in PD patients who manifested depressive or other neuropsychiatric alterations were reviewed.

Results: Twenty-three articles were selected, including 7 original articles, 3 systematic reviews or meta-analyses, 11 case reports, 1 clinical guideline, and 1 expert opinion. Bupropion showed considerable effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms, particularly in relation to apathy. Solitary findings showed a restorative effect on compulsive behaviour secondary to treatment with dopamine as well as on anxiety symptoms. The effect on motor symptoms remains controversial. The safety profile of this medication seems positive, but additional precautions should be used in subjects with psychotic symptoms.

Conclusion: The available literature lacks good evidence to support the use of Bupropion in PD patients presenting depressive symptoms. Further investigations are needed to extend and confirm reported findings and to produce accurate clinical guidelines.

Keywords: Bupropion; Depression; Neuropsychiatric symptoms; Parkinson’s disease; Pharmacological treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Vismara is the Principal Investigator of the study “Bupropion for depression in Parkinson’s disease: clinical and epigenetic correlates” sponsored by “Aldo Ravelli” Center for Neurotechnology and Brain Therapeutic, University of Milan, Milan.

Prof. Dell’Osso has received Grant/Research Support from LivaNova, Inc., Angelini and Lundbeck and Lecture Honoraria from Angelini, FB Health and Lundbeck.

Prof. Priori, Dr. Nicolini, Dr. Benatti, Dr. Cova, Dr. Di Fonzo, Dr. Monfrini, Dr. Fetoni, and Dr. Viganò report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram showing results of search and process of selecting articles for review
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Main findings emerged in the present scoping review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Schapira AH, Jenner P. Etiology and pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord. 2011;26:1049–1055. doi: 10.1002/mds.23732. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Balestrino R, Martinez-Martin P. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, behavioural disorders, and quality of life in Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol Sci. 2017;373:173–178. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2016.12.060. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Szatmari S, Min-Woo Illigens B, Siepmann T, Pinter A, Takats A, Bereczki D. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in untreated Parkinson’s disease. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2017;13:815–826. doi: 10.2147/NDT.S130997. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Vismara M, Cirnigliaro G, Piccoli E, Giorgetti F, Molteni L, Cremaschi L, et al. Crossing borders between frontotemporal dementia and psychiatric disorders: an updated overview. J Alzheimers Dis. 2020;75:661–673. doi: 10.3233/JAD-191333. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Altamura AC, Serati M, Albano A, Paoli RA, Glick ID, Dell’Osso B. An epidemiologic and clinical overview of medical and psychopathological comorbidities in major psychoses. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2011;261:489–508. doi: 10.1007/s00406-011-0196-4. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types