Associations between Sleep Quality and Serum Levels of Neurofilament Light in Individuals with Premanifest Huntington Disease.

 To evaluate the associations between sleep quality and serum levels of neurofilament light (NfL) protein in individuals with premanifest Huntington disease (HD).  We recruited 28 individuals with premanifest HD from a pre-existing database (of the Huntington's Environmental Research Optimisation Scheme, HEROs). The participants filled out the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a subjective measure of sleep quality, and blood was collected via routine venepuncture to measure peripheral NfL levels.

The multidimensional sleep health of individuals with multiple sclerosis and Huntington's disease and healthy controls.

Study Objectives: Sleep issues are common for people with neurodegenerative conditions, yet research has focused on specific aspects of sleep. While important, a more holistic approach to investigating sleep, termed "sleep health," considers sleep's positive and negative aspects. Current studies exploring sleep health have lacked a control group for reference.

Sleep health of Australian community tennis players during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Background: Poorer sleep health outcomes have been documented in the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on sleep health outcomes in specific population groups, including the sporting community, has not been extensively investigated. This study evaluated sleep health outcomes and their relationship with lifestyle behaviours during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period in Australian community tennis players.

Torque variability of the plantar flexors in people with Huntington's disease.

Background: Torque steadiness can be impaired in people with Huntington's disease (HD) and worsen with disease advancement. However, existing studies have several methodological oversights. Studies have used absolute torque targets, which do not account for differences in maximal torque capacity between people.

Profiling Social Cognition in Premanifest Huntington's Disease.

Objective: Discrepancies exist in reports of social cognition deficits in individuals with premanifest Huntington's disease (HD); however, the reason for this variability has not been investigated. The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate group- and individual-level social cognitive performance and (2) examine intra-individual variability (dispersion) across social cognitive domains in individuals with premanifest HD.

Method: Theory of mind (ToM), social perception, empathy, and social connectedness were evaluated in 35 individuals with premanifest HD and 29 healthy controls.

Hair and salivary cortisol and their relationship with lifestyle, mood and cognitive outcomes in premanifest Huntington's disease.

Salivary cortisol dysrhythmias have been reported in some, but not all studies assessing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in Huntington's disease (HD). These differences are presumed to be due to environmental influences on temporal salivary cortisol measurement. Further exploration of HPA-axis function using a more stable and longer-term measure, such as hair cortisol, is needed to confirm earlier findings.

Effects of sleepiness on clinical decision making among paramedic students: a simulated night shift study.

Objective: Paramedics are at the forefront of emergency healthcare. Quick and careful decision making is required to effectively care for their patients; however, excessive sleepiness has the potential to impact on clinical decision making. Studies investigating the effects of night shift work on sleepiness, cognitive function and clinical performance in the prehospital setting are limited.

Clinical Determinants of Dual Tasking in People With Premanifest Huntington Disease.

Objective: Dual-tasking deficiencies are common in people with Huntington disease (HD) and contribute to reduced functional independence. To date, few studies have investigated the determinants of dual-tasking deficiencies in this population. The reliability of dual-tasking measures has also been poorly investigated in HD.

Rate of torque development and striatal shape in individuals with prodromal Huntington's disease.

The aim of the present study was to quantify explosive joint torque or the ability to develop joint torque rapidly, typically measured as the rate of torque development, in individuals with prodromal Huntington's disease and healthy controls and its associations with measures of disease burden and striatal pathology. Twenty prodromal Huntington's disease and 19 healthy control individuals volunteered for this study. Plantar flexor isometric rate of torque development values were evaluated using isokinetic dynamometry.

Exploring the brain-body composition relationship in Huntington's disease.

Objective: Changes in body composition are a common feature of Huntington's disease (HD) and are associated with disease progression. However, whether these changes in body composition are associated with degeneration of the striatum is unknown. This study aimed to explore the associations between body composition metrics and striatal brain volume in individuals with premanifest HD and healthy controls.

Dual tasking impairments are associated with striatal pathology in Huntington's disease.

Background: Recent findings suggest that individuals with Huntington's disease (HD) have an impaired capacity to execute cognitive and motor tasks simultaneously, or dual task, which gradually worsens as the disease advances. The onset and neuropathological changes mediating impairments in dual tasking in individuals with HD are unclear. The reliability of dual tasking assessments for individuals with HD is also unclear.

The effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation on neuroimaging, biological, cognitive and motor outcomes in individuals with premanifest Huntington's disease.

Background: Huntington's disease (HD) is a chronic, progressive neurodegenerative condition for which there are currently no proven disease-modifying therapies. Lifestyle factors have been shown to impact on the age of disease onset and progression of disease features. We therefore investigated the effects of a nine-month multidisciplinary rehabilitation intervention on neuroimaging, biological and clinical disease outcomes in individuals with premanifest HD.

The relationship between lifestyle and serum neurofilament light protein in Huntington's disease.

Objectives: Serum neurofilament light protein (NfL) is a promising marker of disease onset and progression in Huntington's disease (HD). This study investigated associations between lifestyle factors and NfL levels in HD mutation carriers compared to healthy age- and sex-matched controls.

Materials And Methods: Participants included 29 HD mutation carriers and 15 healthy controls.

Multidisciplinary rehabilitation reduces hypothalamic grey matter volume loss in individuals with preclinical Huntington's disease: A nine-month pilot study.

Background: Hypothalamic pathology is a well-documented feature of Huntington's disease (HD) and is believed to contribute to circadian rhythm and habitual sleep disturbances. Currently, no therapies exist to combat hypothalamic changes, nor circadian rhythm and habitual sleep disturbances in HD.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of multidisciplinary rehabilitation on hypothalamic volume, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), circadian rhythm and habitual sleep in individuals with preclinical HD.

Virtual Reality Triage Training Can Provide Comparable Simulation Efficacy for Paramedicine Students Compared to Live Simulation-Based Scenarios.

Mass-casualty incidents (MCIs) are catastrophic. Whether they arise from natural or man-made disasters, the nature of such incidents and the multiple casualties involved can rapidly overwhelm response personnel. Mass-casualty triage training is traditionally taught via either didactic lectures or table top exercises.

Investigating the relationships between hypothalamic volume and measures of circadian rhythm and habitual sleep in premanifest Huntington's disease.

Objective: Pathological changes within the hypothalamus have been proposed to mediate circadian rhythm and habitual sleep disturbances in individuals with Huntington's disease (HD). However, investigations examining the relationships between hypothalamic volume and circadian rhythm and habitual sleep in individuals with HD are sparse. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the relationships between hypothalamic pathology and circadian rhythm and habitual sleep disturbances in individuals with premanifest HD.

Computerised Dynamic Posturography in Premanifest and Manifest individuals with Huntington's Disease.

Evidence from small-scale studies indicates that impairments in postural stability are an early and disabling feature of Huntington's disease (HD) and may be a useful clinical endpoint for disease modifying trials. Larger studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings and the suitability of postural stability outcomes as clinical endpoints. Static and dynamic postural stability were evaluated in 54 premanifest HD, 36 manifest HD and 45 healthy individuals using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) and Limits of Stability (LOS) test.

Effects of multidisciplinary therapy on physical function in Huntington's disease.

Objective: The primary objective of this trial was to evaluate the effects of outpatient multidisciplinary therapy, compared to usual care, on measures of physical function and muscle strength in patients with manifest Huntington's disease (HD).

Methods: Twenty-two patients with clinically verified HD were randomized to receive 36 weeks of outpatient multidisciplinary therapy or usual care. Outpatient multidisciplinary therapy comprised 9 months of supervised exercise, cognitive therapy and self-directed home-based exercise.

Neuroendocrine and neurotrophic signaling in Huntington's disease: Implications for pathogenic mechanisms and treatment strategies.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by an extended polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein. Circadian, sleep and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis disturbances are observed in HD as early as 15 years before clinical disease onset. Disturbances in these key processes result in increased cortisol and altered melatonin release which may negatively impact on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and contribute to documented neuropathological and clinical disease features.

Mechanisms contributing to differential regulation of PAX3 downstream target genes in normal human epidermal melanocytes versus melanoma cells.

Melanoma is a highly aggressive and drug resistant form of skin cancer. It arises from melanocytes, the pigment producing cells of the skin. The formation of these melanocytes is driven by the transcription factor PAX3 early during embryonic development.