Objective: To examine whether there is a connection between clinical findings, genetics and QST data of Parkinson’s disease(PD) patients and to characterize the genetic mechanisms for transfer of pain in patients with this disease.

Background: Pain is one of the most common and disturbing non-motor symptom in PD.The mechanisms responsible for pain generation and transmission in PD are not completely understood. Recently a genetic component of pain was found in PD patients. 3 SNP’s in the SCN9A and FAAH genes were associated with central and musculoskeletal pain in PD. This prospective study examined the relationship between clinical, genetic and Quantitative Sensory Test (QST) results.

Methods: 104 patients with PD who participated in a previous genetic study were enrolled. Disease and pain severity were assessed using the Unified PD Rating Scale and the short McGill test. QST for thermal and pain sensation was performed in four limbs. Statistical analysis included regression analysis for connection between motor state of the patients (part III of UPDRS test), disease duration and QST findings, paired t- test for comparison temperature and pain sensation between sides of the body and ANOVA test for QST analysis between patients with different types of pain and genetic polymorphism for pain.

Results: There was a trend for A significant difference in cold pain threshold in the more affected hand between patients without pain (15±7.4 °C), pain of central origin (19.7 ± 7.2 °C) and musculoskeletal pain (15±7.9 °C ); (P=0.055). Significant difference in heat pain threshold in the effected leg was found between patients with genetic variance of SCN9A rs6746030 and central pain compared to patients without pain and without genetic variance (45.8±3.3 °C vs 41.9±4.6 °C; p=0.027).There was no difference in heat/cold pain threshold between the more and less affected side of patients with and without central pain.

Conclusions: Results of the current study suggest the involvement of basal ganglia in transmission of thermal and painful stimuli. Genetic variability of three SNP’s that were involved in central and musculoskeletal pain in PD seems to have no relation with QST results. More SNP’s known to be associated with central pain should be examined to establish correlation between genetic and physiological pain tests in PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/response-to-thermal-and-pain-stimulation-and-genetic-variance-for-pain-in-patients-with-parkinsons-disease-are-they-all-related/