Effect of 24-h continuous rotigotine treatment on stationary and non-stationary locomotion in de novo patients with Parkinson disease in an open-label uncontrolled study

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a rotigotine transdermal patch on stationary and non-stationary locomotion in de novo Parkinson disease (PD) patients in an open-label uncontrolled study. A 3-D gait analysis system was used to investigate four different locomotor tasks: steady-state linear walking, gait initiation, gait termination and 180°-turning. A series of gait variables were measured for each locomotor task. PD patients who received rotigotine treatment (4–8 mg) displayed: (1) increased step length, gait speed, cadence and arm oscillations, and reduced double support duration and step asymmetry during steady-state linear gait; (2) increased initial step length during gait initiation; (3) increased final step length and gait speed, and decreased stability index during gait termination; (4) decreased duration of turning and head–pelvis delays during 180°-turning. The main finding that emerges from the present study is that the dopamine agonist rotigotine can improve various aspects of gait in de novo PD patients.