Novel Developments in Hypomimia in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Hypomimia is one prominent clinical symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD) , which is mainly characterized by a loss or reduction of voluntary, emotional and other facial expressions, and usually appears bilaterally and symmetrically. Factors associated with hypomimia in PD have been extensively studied recently, including basal ganglia dysfunction, facial emotion recognition deficit, and cognitive impairment, but the specific pathophysiological mechanism is still unclear. Hypomimia strongly correlates with the progression of PD, so scientific quantification and evaluation of hypomimia will be of great significance to the diagnosis and treatment of PD. Besides that, there is still controversy over its treatment plan. We reviewed the latest developments in clinical presentations, pathogenesis and treatment of hypomimia in PD.

Keywords

• parkinson disease|facial expression|hypomimia|signs and symptoms mechanism|therapy