A rare side effect of standard treatments for the disease, scientists have explained Parkinson's patients'' risky behavior.

The finding, according to researchers, has implications for future medication of patients.

The treatments, which work by increasing dopamine signaling in the brain, can trigger highly risky behaviors, known as ''impulsive-compulsive spectrum behaviors'' (ICBs) in approximately 5-10 percent of patients.

It has been reported that scientists explain this as impaired self-control combined with surprisingly normal motivation, patients with ICB tend to take shortcuts with smaller returns over delayed but larger benefits.

The researchers hope that this study might help in the identification and treatment of ICBs in the future.

Charlotte Housden who carried out the work at UCL's Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, and is now at the University of Cambridge, said, "Some patients end up gambling away their life savings while others run up huge credit card debts. This work sheds light on the reasons behind such behaviors, and may help to treat sufferers of Parkinson's disease in the future."

In an experiment, the researchers proved that, for example, PD patients preferred to receive 50 pounds today or 80 pounds in a month's time. They were considerably more likely to choose smaller immediate payments over larger but delayed ones on the questionnaire that measured a form of impulsivity called "delay discounting". (With Inputs from Agencies)