Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40940632›Full record

ArticleMovement disorders clinical practice2026

Is Dysphagia in Multiple System Atrophy Responsive to Levodopa? Results from a Retrospective Study.

Florin Gandor, Luise Berger, Vera Jäger, Katharina Demmin, Doreen Gruber, Katja Schimming, Paulina Thimm, Georg Ebersbach, Stefanie Schreiber, Dominic Rowe and 1 more

Abstract read
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Article in Movement disorders clinical practice, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

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0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Florin GandorMacquarie University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Macquarie University, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2874-9817
Luise BergerDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.
Vera JägerDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.
Katharina DemminDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.
Doreen GruberDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.
Katja SchimmingDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.
Paulina ThimmDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.
Georg EbersbachDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3403-6987
Stefanie SchreiberDepartment of Neurology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.
Dominic RoweMacquarie University Hospital, Department of Neurology, Macquarie University, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Annemarie VogelDepartment of Neurology, Movement Disorders Hospital, Kliniken Beelitz GmbH, Strasse nach Fichtenwalde 16, Beelitz, 14547, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDysphagia remains a major clinical concern in multiple system atrophy (MSA), and so far, lacks relevant treatment options.

objectiveTo systematically assess levodopa-responsiveness of dysphagia in MSA.

methods19 MSA-patients underwent endoscopic swallowing evaluation in Off- and On-state, following an adapted FEES-levodopa-test-protocol. Findings were compared between states and correlated to disease-specific and demographic factors.

resultsAll 19 MSA-patients 70 [66-72] years, 15/4 MSA-P/ C, 10 women exhibited dysphagia. Levodopa-responsiveness of motor-impairment was poor (UPDRS-3 Off 46 [34-52] vs On 43 [40-48], P = 0.31). Dysphagia severity varied greatly. Sum-scores ranged between 9-21 in Off and 6-20 in On. MSA-P-patients were more likely to have higher sum-scores (rpb 0.41, P = 0.01). Sum-scores otherwise were independent of disease-specific and demographic factors. 3/19 MSA-patients showed marked score-improvement by ≥30% through reduced leaking and aspiration but remained unchanged for the majority. Scores worsened in 2/19 patients. In the group analysis, the median dysphagia-score remained unchanged (2 [1, 2], P = 0.28). The occurrence of leaking, pharyngeal residue, penetration, and aspiration was not changed (P = 0.13-0.19). Severity of leaking was reduced (3 [2-4] vs. 0[0.5-1], P < 0.0001), while severity of pharyngeal residue, penetration, and aspiration remained unchanged (P = 0.29-0.53). Liquids were more often associated with leaking (P < 0.05) and aspiration (P < 0.005). All patients exhibited laryngeal movement disorders, with irregular arytenoid cartilage movements (iACM) being observed in all patients, regardless of levodopa-state.

conclusionThe levodopa-response in MSA-related dysphagia varies greatly. Some patients might improve markedly, necessitating individual assessments to tailor patient-specific therapies. Non-pharmacological measures should be investigated to address dysphagia in MSA. IACM again proved to be highly prevalent in MSA.

Indexed as

Antiparkinson AgentsDeglutition DisordersLevodopaMultiple System AtrophyAgedFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesSeverity of Illness IndexAntiparkinson AgentsLevodopadysphagiaFEESlevodopa‐responsivenessmultiple system atrophytreatment

Identifiers

PMID40940632
PMCPMC13042560

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.