Objective: Motor neuron degeneration in parkinsonism is known to develop in Western Pacific (Guam) parkinsonism-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis complex, multisystem atrophy (MSA), postensefalitic parkinsonism, Creutzfeld-Jacob disease and dementia with parkinsonism linked to chromosome 17. Existence of motor neuron degeneration in these disorders brings up the question whether motor neuron degeneration develops in Idiopathic Parkinson Disease (IPD). Our study aims to answer this question. Methods: In this study, we estimated the motor unit counts in 24 patients diagnosed as IPD and 26 healthy control subjects with similar age (50-70) and gender, using threshold method. Results: Our study revealed the motor unit counts, done using threshold method, in IPD patients in thenar muscles were not different from the control group subjects. Conclusion: This result implied that there was not asymptomatic motor neuron degeneration in IPD, and IPD did not share the same physiological mechanism with other parkinsonism related disorders associated with motor neuron degeneration. However, since there are limited numbers of publications on this subject, to verify this conclusion, further studies using similar methods, with larger patient groups are needed.
Key words: Parkinsonism, motor unit, motor neuron degeneration
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