Does Personality Change Follow Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson's Disease Patients?

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Joshua A. Wilt¹  Amanda R. Merner¹  Jaclyn Zeigler²  Michelle Montpetite²  Cynthia S. Kubu² 

[1] Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, United States;Department of Neurology, Cleveland Clinic, United States;Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, United States

关键词: personality;    deep brain stimulation;    personality change;    Parkinson's disease;    personality pathology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643277

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a safe, effective, and appealing treatment for Parkinson's Disease (PD), particularly for improving motor symptoms (e. g., tremor, bradykinesia, and rigidity). However, concerns have been raised about whether DBS causes psychological changes, including changes to personality: characteristic and relatively stable patterns of affect, behavior, cognition, and desire. In this article, after first presenting some background information about PD and DBS, we examined evidence obtained from various empirical research methods (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods for evaluating patient valued characteristics) pertaining to whether DBS causes personality change. General limitations across research methods include a lack of randomized clinical trials and small sample sizes. We organized our review of findings according to different layers of personality variables: dispositional traits (including personality pathology), characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity. Though most work has been done on dispositional traits, there is not much evidence that dispositional traits change following DBS. Little work has been done on characteristic adaptations, but there is somewhat consistent evidence for positive perceived progress toward goals across a number of domains: routine activities, work, social/relational, and leisure. Nascent work on narrative identity holds promise for revealing issues around self-image that may be common following DBS. We listed a number of strategies for advancing research, highlighting opportunities related to personality conceptualization, personality assessment, and interdisciplinary scholarship. Finally, we offer practical applications of our findings for the informed consent process and for ongoing treatment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY