Publications by authors named "C Spanaki"
Article Synopsis
- Non-motor fluctuations (NMF) in Parkinson's disease (PD) substantially impact patients' quality of life but remain largely unrecognized and poorly understood despite being identified for over 20 years.
- NMF, which can overlap with motor fluctuations (MF), are categorized into neuropsychiatric, sensory, and autonomic subtypes, leading to variability in their prevalence and severity due to differences in patient populations and assessment methods.
- There is a pressing need for high-quality research to better understand the complex nature of NMF, improve diagnostic accuracy, and enhance treatment options for PD patients in clinical settings.
: The genetic underpinnings of Parkinson's disease (PD) and parkinsonism have drawn increasing attention in recent years. Mutations in the Factor-Induced Gene 4 ( have been implicated in various neurological disorders, including Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4J (CMT4J), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Yunis-Varón syndrome. This review aims to explore the association between mutations and parkinsonism, with a specific focus on the rare missense mutation p.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchizophrenia is a chronic psychotic disorder comprising positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive deficits. Negative symptoms are associated with stigma, worse functional outcomes, and a significant deterioration in quality of life. Clinical diagnosis is challenging despite its significance, and current treatments offer little improvement in the burden of negative symptoms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Human evolution involved significant brain growth and unique cognitive abilities, marked by special adaptations in synaptic transmission and energy use in the brain.
- - A specific gene, hGDH2, evolved in our common ancestor with apes, enhancing glutamate metabolism and playing a key role in strengthening synaptic connections, notably in vital brain areas linked to cognition.
- - Research with transgenic mice shows that hGDH2 boosts synaptic plasticity and neuron-glia communication, which likely supports enhanced memory and complex cognitive functions in humans.
Article Synopsis
- The DYSCOVER study compared levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) to optimized medical treatment (OMT) in patients with Parkinson's disease and significant dyskinesia, finding that LCIG led to notable improvements in dyskinesia, pain, and health outcomes at 12 weeks.
- The analysis revealed moderate-to-strong positive correlations between dyskinesia severity and both pain and health-related quality of life scores, indicating that as one worsens, so does the other.
- Ultimately, the study suggests that addressing dyskinesia in these patients can positively impact their pain levels and overall quality of life.