Attachment State of Mind and complex traumatization in patients with Functional Motor Disorder (Motor Conversion Disorder).

Introduction: Functional Motor Disorder (FMD) is characterized by motor neurological symptoms that cannot be explained by typical neurological diseases or other medical conditions. The role of psychological factors in the development, severity, and persistence of FMD remains unclear. We investigated the Attachment State of Mind (SoM) in FMD patients using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) and retrospectively examined the quality of their traumatic experiences, if any.

Psychometric properties and clinical correlates of the Frontal Behaviour Inventory in progressive supranuclear palsy: data from the PSP-NET.

Objectives: Neuropsychiatric symptoms, such as apathy, disinhibition and irritability, are common in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). The Frontal Behaviour Inventory (FBI) is a useful instrument for the evaluation of behavioural disorders in neurodegenerative diseases. The main goal of the present study was to explore the psychometric properties of the FBI in PSP.

Synbiotic supplementation may globally improve non-motor symptoms in patients with stable Parkinson's disease: results from an open label single-arm study.

Gut microbiota changes and brain-gut-axis (BGA) dysregulation are common in people with Parkinson's Disease (PD). Probiotics and prebiotics are emerging as a potential therapeutic approach for PD patients. The aim of this paper was to assess the neurological and gastroenterological effects in PD patients with constipation after the administration of a synbiotic product, with a focus on behavioral and cognitive symptoms.

A window into the mind-brain-body interplay: Development of diagnostic, prognostic biomarkers, and rehabilitation strategies in functional motor disorders.

Background And Aims: Functional motor disorders (FMD) present a prevalent, yet misunderstood spectrum of neurological conditions characterized by abnormal movements (i.e., functional limb weakness, tremor, dystonia, gait impairments), leading to substantial disability and diminished quality of life.

Kinematic and Kinetic Gait Features Associated With Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson's Disease.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and gait deficits are commonly associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Early detection of MCI associated with Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI) and its biomarkers is critical to managing disability in PD patients, reducing caregiver burden and healthcare costs. Gait is considered a surrogate marker for cognitive decline in PD.

Direct Current Stimulation of Prefrontal Cortex Is Not Effective in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy: A Randomized Trial.

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare 4R-tauopathy. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may improve specific symptoms.

Objectives: This randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled trial aimed at verifying the short-, mid-, and long-term effect of multiple sessions of anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) cortex in PSP.

Elderly Onset of Functional Motor Disorders: Clinical Correlates from the Italian Registry.

Background: Functional motor disorders (FMD) are a frequent neurological condition affecting patients with movement disorders. Commonly described in younger adults, their manifestation can be also associated to an elderly onset.

Objective: To assess the prevalence and describe the clinical manifestations of FMD with elderly and younger onset and their relationship with demographical and clinical variables.

Validation of the Italian version of the Parkinson's Disease- Cognitive Functional Rating Scale.

A key distinguishing factor between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD) lies in the notable decrease in functioning due to cognitive impairment. The Parkinson's Disease-Cognitive Functional Rating Scale (PD-CRFS) was developed to assess functional limitations caused by cognitive impairment, while reducing the influence of motor impairment. The aim of this multicenter study was to (i) validate the Italian version of the PD-CFRS in PD, (ii) determine optimal cut-off scores for detecting MCI and dementia in PD, (iii) compare its performances with the most established functional assessment tool (IADL).

Psychometric properties of the Caregiver's inventory neuropsychological diagnosis dementia (CINDD) in mild cognitive impairment and dementia.

Objectives: The Caregiver's Inventory Neuropsychological Diagnosis Dementia (CINDD) is an easy tool designed to quantify cognitive, behavioural and functional deficits of patients with cognitive impairment. Aim of the present study was to analyse the psychometric properties of the CINDD in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Dementia (D).

Design, Setting And Participants: The CINDD, composed by 9 sub-domains, was administered to fifty-six caregivers of patients with different types of dementia (D) and 44 caregivers of patients with MCI.

Development of the Digital Inclusion Questionnaire (DIQUEST) in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: No tool is currently able to measure digital inclusion in clinical populations suitable for telemedicine. We developed the "Digital Inclusion Questionnaire" (DIQUEST) to estimate access and skills in Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients and verified its properties with a pilot study.

Methods: Thirty PD patients completed the initial version of the DIQUEST along with the Mobile Device Proficiency Questionnaire (MDPQ) and a practical computer task.

Case report: Asp194Ala variant in MFN2 is associated with ALS-FTD in an Italian family.

gene encodes the protein Mitofusin 2, involved in essential mitochondrial functions such as fusion, trafficking, turnover, and cellular interactions. We describe a family carrying a novel mutation associated with ALS-frontotemporal dementia (FTD) clinical phenotype in the mother and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2A (CMT2A) in her son. The mother, a 67-year-old woman, referred to us for a three year-history of mood disturbance and gait impairment, and a more recent hypophonia, dysarthria, dysphagia, and diffuse muscle wasting.

Frequency and imaging correlates of neuropsychiatric symptoms in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are intrinsic to Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) and a spoonful of studies investigated their imaging correlates. Describe (I) the frequency and severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms in PSP and (II) their structural imaging correlates. Twenty-six PSP patients underwent Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and brain 3D T1-weighted MRI.

Visuospatial Deficits Are Associated with Pisa Syndrome and not Camptocormia in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Pisa syndrome (PS) and camptocormia (CC) are postural abnormalities frequently associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). Their pathophysiology remains unclear, but the role of cognitive deficits has been postulated.

Objectives: To identify differences in the neuropsychological functioning of patients with PD with PS or CC compared with matched patients with PD without postural abnormalities.

Machine learning can predict mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Clinical markers of cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease (PD) encompass several mental non-motor symptoms such as hallucinations, apathy, anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, freezing of gait (FOG) and specific gait alterations have been associated with cognitive dysfunction in PD. Finally, although low cerebrospinal fluid levels of amyloid-β42 have been found to predict cognitive decline in PD, hitherto PET imaging of amyloid-β (Aβ) failed to consistently demonstrate the association between Aβ plaques deposition and mild cognitive impairment in PD (PD-MCI).

Combined regional T1w/T2w ratio and voxel-based morphometry in multiple system atrophy: A follow-up study.

Several MRI techniques have become available to support the early diagnosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA), but few longitudinal studies on both MSA variants have been performed, and there are no established MRI markers of disease progression. We aimed to characterize longitudinal brain changes in 26 patients with MSA (14 MSA-P and 12 MSA-C) over a 1-year follow-up period in terms of local tissue density and T1w/T2w ratio in a-priori regions, namely, bilateral putamen, cerebellar gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and substantia nigra (SN). A significant GM density decrease was found in cerebellum and left putamen in the entire group (10.

Higher Health Service Costs Associated With Delayed Diagnosis of Functional Neurological Disorder.

Objective: Functional neurological disorder (FND) is frequently encountered in clinical practice but commonly misdiagnosed, which might lead to higher direct costs for the health care system. The investigators analyzed the direct costs associated with the diagnosis of FND compared with costs associated with other neurological conditions and explored possible cost trends related to the clinical and demographic features of FND.

Methods: Consecutive patients attending a general neurology clinic were recruited and underwent a structured assessment aimed to collect information pertaining to their demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as data regarding their prior diagnostic processes (e.

Magnetic Resonance T1w/T2w Ratio in the Putamen and Cerebellum as a Marker of Cognitive Impairment in MSA: a Longitudinal Study.

The exact pathophysiology of cognitive impairment in multiple system atrophy (MSA) is unclear. In our longitudinal study, we aimed to analyze (I) the relationships between cognitive functions and some subcortical structures, such as putamen and cerebellum assessed by voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and T1-weighted/T2-weighted (T1w/T2w) ratio, and (II) the neuroimaging predictors of the progression of cognitive deficits. Twenty-six patients with MSA underwent a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, motor examination, and brain MRI at baseline (T) and 1-year follow-up (T).

Sex Differences in Parkinson's Disease: From Bench to Bedside.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer's disease and gender differences have been described on several aspects of PD. In the present commentary, we aimed to collect and discuss the currently available evidence on gender differences in PD regarding biomarkers, genetic factors, motor and non-motor symptoms, therapeutic management (including pharmacological and surgical treatment) as well as preclinical studies.

Methods: A systematic literature review was performed by searching the Pubmed and Scopus databases with the search strings "biomarkers", "deep brain stimulation", "female", "gender", "genetic", "levodopa", "men", "male", "motor symptoms", "non-motor symptoms", "Parkinson disease", "sex", "surgery", and "women".

A novel phenotype in an Italian family with a rare progranulin mutation.

Introduction: Progranulin (PGRN) is a secreted glycoprotein encoded in humans by the GRN gene, located on chromosome 17q21. Several nonsense and missense pathogenetic GRN mutations have been described.

Objective: We herein describe two sisters carrying a rare GRN mutation with extremely different clinical features and family history of dementia and behavioral disorders, with a novel presentation with stridor and dysphonia.

Fist-Palm Test (FiPaT): a bedside motor tool to screen for global cognitive status.

Objective: The Fist-Palm Test (FiPaT) is a novel non-verbal task to be used at the patient's bedside for a cognitive functions screening. The aims of this study are to analyze (I) the qualitative and quantitative performance features at FiPaT, (II) the psychometric characteristics of FiPaT, and (III) the correlation between FiPat and traditional cognitive assessments in subjects with normal cognition (NC), Mild Cognitive Impairment-single domain (MCI-sd), and Mild Cognitive Impairment-multiple domain (MCI-md).

Methods: One hundred-thirteen subjects (53M/60F), with a mean age of 66.