EFFECT OF rTMS ON BLOOD CONTENT OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE-SULFATE (DEAS) AND CORTISOL IN MEN AND WOMEN WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE (PD): A PILOT PLACEBO-CONTOLLED STUDY

PD is a neurodegenerative disease characterized with loss of dopamine neurons and associated with neuroinflamation and unbalanced in HPA-axis. We investigated the content of cortisol and DEAS - hormones of HPA-axis in patients with PD after applying rTMS. Feng S.F. et al. (2012) showed that rTMS improves the balance of HPA axis hormones during depression, which is one of the non-motor manifestations of PD. PD patients were randomized into groups with active rTMS (13 men, 11 women) and sham rTMS (10 men, 15 women).The 10Hz rTMS was performed sequentially over 2 targets: the primary motor cortex and the DLPFC daily for 20 days. Outcome measures included the indicators of MDS-UPDRS (Part 3) scale, content of cоrtisol and DEAS in the peripheral blood.The Motor Examination Part scores demonstrated clinically meaningful improvement only in the active treatment group (p < 0.01). The content of the DEAS in this group was negatively correlated with indicators of scales of clinical manifestations, stress and anxiety (p < 0.05). In this group an increase of content of DEAS in the peripheral blood of men was found (p < 0.01, Wald-Wolfowitz Runs Test). Thus, the rTMS increases the levels of a wellknown neuroprotective hormone and a modulator of DA activity DEAS only in men.