Objective To document the occurrence of impulse control behaviours (ICBs) in patients with Parkinson's disease after 3 years of continuous deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN).

Methods Detailed neurological and ICB assessments were performed before STN DBS and up to 3 years after implant.

Results 13 out of 56 patients (23.2%) had ICBs at baseline; they took higher doses of dopamine agonists (DAA). Three years after implant 11 had fully remitted with a 60.8% reduction of DAA medication; the remaining two, who had a similar medication reduction, had only compulsive eating, having recovered from hypersexuality. Six of the 43 patients without ICBs at baseline (14%) developed transient de novo ICBs after implant; none of them had ICBs at the 3-year observation.

Conclusions ICBs were abolished in patients 3 years after STN DBS and DAA dosages were lowered. New ICBs may occur after implant and are transient in most cases. Compulsive eating may be specifically related to STN stimulation.