La question du lien entre créativité et pathologie psychiatrique se pose depuis de nombreuses années. La maladie de Parkinson et les troubles comportementaux regroupés notamment en syndrome de dysrégulation dopaminergique ont permis de s’intéresser au développement d’activités artistiques de création de novo chez des patients traités par agonistes dopaminergiques. À partir de vignettes cliniques de patients atteints d’une maladie de Parkinson idiopathique ayant développé une activité de création, nous nous sommes intéressés aux théories explicatives de ce comportement. Plusieurs hypothèses ont été discutées dans notre article, permettant de reconsidérer la créativité et ses liens avec les pathologies psychiatriques à la lumière d’une atteinte neurologique, la maladie de Parkinson.

Enhancement of pre-existing artistic talent as well as the emergence of a new artistic tendency has been associated with fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) but is an unusual finding in Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD is typically characterized by loss of function and previous abilities, often accompanied by complications of treatment in the later stages of disease progression. Creativity has recently been described in Parkinson’s disease as a symptom from the “dopamine dysregulation syndrome” (DDS) in association with pathological gambling, hypersexuality, compulsive shopping, binge eating, punding or hobbyism, or compulsive dopaminergic medication use.

We report two patients who developed artistic skills after changing of their dopamine treatment-dose. These two patients suffered from idiopathic Parkinson’s disease; one became an accomplished writer and the other one developed embroidery creative activities. These case reports offer insight into the physiopathology of the artistic creativity.

Four main physiopathological hypotheses, which are not mutually exclusive, are currently proposed: (i) creativity is a mechanism of sublimation, (ii) creativity is due to hyperactivity and behavioural desinhibition, (iii) development of artistic activities is a consequence of enhancing premorbid personality or (iv) creativity is due to serotoninergic stimulation by dopamine agonists.

A number of aetiological hypothesis on creativity exist. Although there are still many controversies among the experts in the field, we may infer that dopamine agonists should be drugs that enhance creativity in Parkinson’s patients.