Mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

The concept of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in the general population has received increased attention over recent years, and is associated with risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease. Within Parkinson's disease (PD), MCI (PD-MCI) is also now recognised to be relatively common, with certain subtypes predicting progression to Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Recently, criteria to better characterise PD-MCI and its subtypes have been produced by the Movement Disorder Society.

Amantadine-induced myoclonus in a patient with progressive supranuclear palsy.

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a tauopathy that generally results in a hypokinetic disorder. Treatment is largely symptomatic, with some small studies indicating a benefit with dopaminergic therapy. Myoclonus is a hyperkinetic disorder that can be seen as part of later stage Parkinson's disease and in multiple system atrophy, but is rarely seen in PSP.

Understanding the impact of deep brain stimulation on ambulatory activity in advanced Parkinson's disease.

Whilst deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (DBS-STN) improves the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), its effect on daily activity is unknown. We aimed to quantify changes in ambulatory activity following DBS-STN in advanced PD using novel accelerometry based measures that describe changes to the volume and pattern of walking. Seventeen participants with advanced PD were measured over a 7-day period using an activPAL (™) activity monitor.