In dealing with a patient with Parkinson\'s disease, bradykinesia is commonly accompanied by which symptom?

• A. Rigidity
• B. Tremor at rest
• C. Hyperactivity
• D. Weight loss

Answer: (B)

Bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease most often occurs together with a resting tremor. This tremor, often described as pill-rolling, sits in the hands when the muscles are at rest and tends to lessen with purposeful movement. The combination reflects the core disruption of basal ganglia circuits from dopaminergic neuron loss, which slows initiation and execution of movement while also producing involuntary tremor when not actively moving. Rigidity frequently accompanies bradykinesia as part of the parkinsonian syndrome, but the resting tremor is the hallmark pairing clinicians notice early on. Hyperactivity is not characteristic, and weight loss is nonspecific to this motor pattern.