Publications by authors named "Caprara A"

Article Synopsis
  • - Cognitive impairment is a common issue in Parkinson's disease, varying from normal cognition to dementia, and is linked to brain changes and dysfunctions in the autonomic nervous system.
  • - Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction contributes to cognitive decline, falls, and increased mortality, with symptoms like abnormal blood pressure occurring at various disease stages.
  • - The review emphasizes the need for monitoring and managing cognitive changes related to cardiovascular issues in Parkinson's, suggesting 24-hour blood pressure monitoring for those showing symptoms of dysautonomia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This study aims to describe movement disorders secondary to cocaine use. To our knowledge, while these presentations have been previously reported in the literature, a comprehensive review has not been published yet. We searched six databases from 1986 to 2022 without language restriction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by paroxysmal and transient events of unilateral or bilateral paresis, usually occurring before 18 months of age. Mutations in the ATP1A3 gene, mainly p.Asp801Asn, p.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Belly dancer's dyskinesia (BDD) is characterized by involuntary abdominal wall movements that are rhythmic, repetitive, and dyskinetic. The present study aims to review BDD's etiology, pathophysiology, and management. We searched six databases to locate existing reports on BDD published from 1990 to October 2023 in electronic form.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Trazodone is an antidepressant agent approved for treating major depressive disorders and is also prescribed for insomnia due to its sedative effect. In a few cases, trazodone was associated with parkinsonism. Herein, we describe a case of parkinsonism after a brief exposure to a moderate dose of trazodone.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Pregabalin is an anti-epileptic drug approved for the treatment of neuropathic pain and focal-onset seizures. In a few cases, pregabalin was associated with parkinsonism. We present a case of a 48-year-old female who had hypertension and was on losartan 50 mg/daily.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Asterixis is a type of negative myoclonus that involves brief, irregular pauses in muscle contraction, leading to lapses in maintaining posture and is often associated with conditions like hepatic encephalopathy and renal failure.
  • - It is essential to differentiate asterixis from other forms of negative myoclonus, such as epileptic negative myoclonus, as this can affect treatment approaches.
  • - Asterixis typically shows no symptoms during patient self-reporting and can often be easily overlooked; however, it is usually reversible with appropriate treatment of the underlying medical issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The abducens nerve (sixth cranial nerve) is essential for lateral eye movement, and its malfunction can cause a variety of issues with vision. Pseudo-abducens palsy is a rare neurological condition that causes a limitation in eye abduction, while the abducens nerve is still functioning. Thalamic pain syndrome, a severe complication of cerebrovascular events, presents as intense neuropathic pain provoked by temperature fluctuations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The cortical hand knob region of the brain is a knob-like segment of the precentral gyrus, projecting into the middle genu of the central sulcus. This anatomic landmark is responsible for intricate control of hand motor movements and has often been implicated in motor weakness following stroke. In some instances, damage to this area has been mistaken for peripheral causes of hand weakness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a reversible treatment method with fewer side effects, primarily used for symptoms of neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, OCD, and depression.
  • DBS is thought to induce brain adaptability and neurogenesis by stimulating subcortical areas, but patient-reported side effects help determine the optimal lead placement and voltage settings.
  • Implantable pulse generators are essential for DBS, with considerations about their size, MRI safety, and rechargeable capabilities being important factors when discussing treatment with patients, especially those resistant to medication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neuroimaging can provide significant benefits in evaluating patients with movement disorders associated with drugs. This literature review describes neuroimaging techniques performed to distinguish Parkinson's disease from drug-induced parkinsonism. The dopaminergic radiotracers already reported to assess patients with drug-induced parkinsonism are [123I]-FP-CIT, [123I]-β-CIT, [99mTc]-TRODAT-1, [18F]-DOPA, [18F]-AV-133, and [18F]-FP-CIT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Encephalopathy can be associated with autoimmune disorders such as autoimmune thyroiditis, and it can present with a wide range of neuropsychiatric manifestations. However, it rarely presents with catatonia. We present the case of a middle-aged female with Hashimoto's thyroiditis presenting with catatonia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, can induce myoclonus, as evidenced by a review of three patient cases who developed this condition after taking the medication for urinary tract infections.
  • All three patients experienced myoclonus within three days of starting ciprofloxacin, and after ruling out other potential causes through tests, ciprofloxacin was determined to be the culprit.
  • Following the discontinuation of the drug, all patients showed complete recovery, and the cases highlight the need for awareness of this rare side effect, possibly linked to neurotransmitter pathways involving γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

An aura is a subjective experience felt in the initial phase of a seizure. Studying auras is relevant as they can be warning signs for people with epilepsy. The incidence of aura tends to be underestimated due to misdiagnosis or underrecognition by patients unless it progresses to motor features.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Fluoroquinolones (FQNs) are related to several central nervous system side effects. This review aims to evaluate the clinical-epidemiological profile, pathophysiological mechanisms, and management of FQNs-associated movement disorders (MDs).

Methods: Two reviewers identified and assessed relevant reports in six databases without language restriction between 1988 and 2022.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Social media use is rapidly increasing, especially in low- and middle-income countries, altering how information—including misinformation—is shared, which poses risks to global health.
  • The circulation of fake news can compromise public trust in scientific expertise and hinder evidence-based health interventions, as seen in Brazil's context of political distrust.
  • A study aimed at reducing dengue in Fortaleza faced resistance and fake news via WhatsApp, leading to the development of strategies to mitigate misinformation, but ultimately was interrupted by violence and the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Baclofen is a muscle relaxant that has been in use since 1977 and generally has few serious side effects when taken as prescribed.
  • A case was reported where a 20-year-old woman developed catatonia after overdosing on baclofen, experiencing symptoms like aphasia and mutism after taking 200 mg following a suicide attempt.
  • This is the first documented instance of baclofen-induced catatonia in a healthy individual, with past literature linking such episodes to prior psychotic symptoms; her condition improved with low-dose lorazepam treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Improvements in the early diagnosis of dengue are urgently needed, especially in resource-limited settings where the distinction between dengue and other febrile illnesses is crucial for patient management.

Methods: In this prospective, observational study (IDAMS), we included patients aged 5 years and older with undifferentiated fever at presentation from 26 outpatient facilities in eight countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, El Salvador, Indonesia, Malaysia, Venezuela, and Viet Nam). We used multivariable logistic regression to investigate the association between clinical symptoms and laboratory tests with dengue versus other febrile illnesses between day 2 and day 5 after onset of fever (ie, illness days).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Phenytoin (PHT) was first synthesized as a barbiturate derivative and was approved in 1953 by the Food and Drug Administration. This work aimed to review the pathophysiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, and treatment of PHT-associated movement disorders (MDs). Studies were searched in relevant databases (ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Excerpta Medica, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature, Medline, and Scientific Electronic Library Online) and were selected by two reviewers irrespective of language between 1963 and 2021.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists are medications used to prevent migraines, divided into monoclonal antibodies and gepants (small non-peptide molecules).
  • The newer generation of gepants, including rimegepant, ubrogepant, and zavegepant, showed effectiveness in clinical trials for treating migraines without increasing mortality risks.
  • Further research is needed to evaluate long-term side effects, particularly in elderly populations, and to monitor safety while comparing these treatments to older migraine medications like triptans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) is primarily characterized by deficits in social behaviour and theory of mind (ToM). Although a consensus has been reached on the roles of the cerebellum in social cognition and ToM, its specific contribution to social impairments of bvFTD has never been specifically investigated. The aim of this study was to assess cerebellar structural and functional changes in patients with bvFTD and their potential association with ToM deficits of patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In 1949, Cade described "sedative effects" after injecting guinea pigs intraperitoneally with lithium (LTM) carbonate. Based on his experiments, he began treating psychiatric patients with LTM. This literature review aims to evaluate the clinical epidemiological profile, pathological mechanisms, and management of LTM-associated movement disorder (MD).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: We used surveillance data from Brazil and Colombia during 2007-2017 to assess the presence of socioeconomic inequalities on dengue, chikungunya and Zika at the neighborhood level in two Latin American cities.

Methods: To quantify the inequality, we estimated and decomposed the relative concentration index of inequality (RCI) accounting for the spatiotemporal distribution of the diseases.

Results: There were 281 426 arboviral cases notified in Fortaleza, Brazil, and 40 889 in Medellin, Colombia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Valproate (VPA) was first synthesized in 1882, but it was only in the early 1960s that its anticonvulsant properties were discovered. The aim of this literature review is to evaluate the clinical epidemiological profile, pathological mechanisms, and management of VPA-associated movement disorder (MD). Relevant reports in six databases were identified and assessed by two reviewers without language restriction.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF