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Abstracts from the International Congress of Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders.

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Changes in artistic style and Parkinson’s Disease

AM. Diezma Martín, G. Tabar Comellas, MI. Morales-Casado, DD. Garcia Melendez, JW. Ruiz Gómez, P. Quintana Castro, M. Ennazeh Elkhaili, D. Rivero Rodríguez, N. López Ariztegui (Toledo, Spain)

Meeting: 2023 International Congress

Abstract Number: 402

Keywords: Cognitive dysfunction, Parkinson’s, Pharmacotherapy

Category: Parkinson's Disease: Cognitive functions

Objective: We present a Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient in whom dopamine agonists produced a dramatic change in her art style and production, and the subsequent evolution of her artistic work as illness evolves.

Background: In PD, despite the loss of motor skills, artistic capacities remain preserved and may change with anti-parkinsonian therapy, curse of disease and development of nonmotor symptoms.

Method: Patient is a 79-year-old female who was a professional of the plastic arts. At the age of 54 she was diagnosed with PD presenting with progressive rigidity, bradykinesia and tremor of the left side. Treatment with levodopa/benserazide 450 mg/ day and rotigotine 8mg/day and rasagiline 1mg/day improved motor symptoms. While receiving this anti-parkinsonian medication the patient felt more creative and started an overproduction of artistic work/started overproducing her artistic work. She began to make sculptures [figure1] and playing the guitar. She spent most of the day pursuing her newly acquired artistic interests, with high economic expenditure, features that could resemble compulsive behavior and hobbyism. Self-satisfactory daytime production was achieved with levodopa 150 mg four times a day and rotigotina 4mg.

Results: With these therapeutic reduction hobbyism improved and she reduced her creative activities. With illness evolution her work presented changes in emotional tone, expressing with her paintings the mental frustration and motor and nonmotor constraints of PD [figure 2]. During periods of clinical improvement, it represents floral motifs with bright colors. When she presented visual hallucinations, she drew them in detail [figure3.]

Conclusion: This case suggests that changes in creativity in PD may be related to dopaminergic imbalance, curse of disease and nonmotor symptoms.

Figure 2.

Figure 1.

Figure 3.

References: – Pelowski M, Spee BTM, Arato J, Dörflinger F, Ishizu T, Richard A. Can we really ‘read’ art to see the changing brain? A review and empirical assessment of clinical case reports and published artworks for systematic evidence of quality and style changes linked to damage or neurodegenerative disease. Physics of Life Reviews. 2022 Dec 1;43:32–95.
– Leite Silva ABR, Gonçalves de Oliveira RW, Diógenes GP, de Castro Aguiar MF, Sallem CC, Lima MPP, et al. Premotor, nonmotor and motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease: A new clinical state of the art. Ageing Res Rev. 2023 Feb;84:101834.
– Salvi C, Leiker EK, Baricca B, Molinari MA, Eleopra R, Nichelli PF, et al. The Effect of Dopaminergic Replacement Therapy on Creative Thinking and Insight Problem-Solving in Parkinson’s Disease Patients. Front Psychol. 2021;12:646448.
– Gatto EM, Aldinio V. Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease. A Brief and Comprehensive Review. Front Neurol. 2019 Apr 17;10:351.
– Inzelberg R. The awakening of artistic creativity and Parkinson’s disease. Behav Neurosci. 2013 Apr;127(2):256–61.
– Chatterjee A, Hamilton RH, Amorapanth PX. Art produced by a patient with Parkinson’s disease. Behav Neurol. 2006;17(2):105–8.
– Inzelberg R, Schechtman E, Hocherman S. Visuo-motor coordination deficits and motor impairments in Parkinson’s disease. PLoS One. 2008;3(11):e3663.
– Witt K, Krack P, Deuschl G. Change in artistic expression related to subthalamic stimulation. J Neurol. 2006 Jul;253(7):955–6.
– Chakravarty A. The creative brain–revisiting concepts. Med Hypotheses. 2010 Mar;74(3):606–12.
– Kulisevsky J, Pagonabarraga J, Martinez-Corral M. Changes in artistic style and behaviour in Parkinson’s disease: dopamine and creativity. J Neurol. 2009 May;256(5):816–9.
– Garcia-Ruiz PJ, Martinez Castrillo JC, Desojo LV. Creativity related to dopaminergic treatment: A multicenter study. Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2019 Jun;63:169–73.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

AM. Diezma Martín, G. Tabar Comellas, MI. Morales-Casado, DD. Garcia Melendez, JW. Ruiz Gómez, P. Quintana Castro, M. Ennazeh Elkhaili, D. Rivero Rodríguez, N. López Ariztegui. Changes in artistic style and Parkinson’s Disease [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2023; 38 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/changes-in-artistic-style-and-parkinsons-disease/. Accessed June 15, 2025.
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