Evaluation of the nociceptive system with laser evoked potential in Parkinson’s Disease

Although several studies reported an altered nociception system in Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients, it is still not clear whether the impairment is at central or peripheral level. We studied twenty PD patients by using a neurophysiological approach, the Laser Evoked Potentials (LEPs), which allows the non-invasive exploration of pain pathways. Our findings show that PD patients have decreased amplitude of the N2/P2 complex, thus suggesting an abnormal encoding of the nociceptive stimuli at the central level. Further studies need to be fostered in order to better evaluate the characteristic of pain and nociceptive processing in PD patients