Publications by authors named "Davide Massucco"
Background: Assessment of nigrostriatal degeneration is a key element to discriminate between dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and Alzheimer disease (AD), and it is often evaluated using ioflupane (I-FP-CIT) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Given the limited availability of I-FP-CIT SPECT, we evaluated if a mask-based approach to nigroputaminal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diffusion-weighted tractography could be able to capture microstructural changes reflecting nigroputaminal degeneration in DLB.
Methods: A nigroputaminal bundle mask was delineated on 12 healthy volunteers (HV) and applied to MRI diffusion-weighted data of 18 subjects with DLB, 21 subjects with AD and another group of 12 HV.
Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia 17 (SCA17) is one of the most heterogeneous forms of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias with a large clinical spectrum which can mimic other movement disorders such as Huntington disease (HD), dystonia and parkinsonism. SCA17 is caused by an expansion of CAG/CAA repeat in the Tata binding protein () gene. Normal alleles contain 25 to 40 CAG/CAA repeats, alleles with 50 or greater CAG/CAA repeats are pathological with full penetrance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Although sparse observational studies have suggested a link between migraine and cervical artery dissection (CEAD), any association between the 2 disorders is still unconfirmed. This lack of a definitive conclusion might have implications in understanding the pathogenesis of both conditions and the complex relationship between migraine and ischemic stroke (IS).
Objective: To investigate whether a history of migraine and its subtypes is associated with the occurrence of CEAD.
Article Synopsis
- A study compared the effectiveness of percutaneous PFO closure versus medical therapy for preventing further embolisms in young patients (ages 18 to 45) who had experienced unexplained ischemic strokes.
- Out of 521 patients analyzed, rates of subsequent strokes and brain ischemia were similar between both treatment groups, with PFO closure showing a slight advantage among younger patients and those with larger shunt sizes.
- The findings suggest that while PFO closure is comparable to medical treatment, it may be particularly beneficial for specific subgroups, warranting further research into targeted treatment strategies.
Background/aims: Apathy is the most common initial symptom of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and has been linked to frontal-subcortical dopaminergic system dysfunction. No pharmacological therapy has been approved for the treatment of apathy, but, on the basis of its physiopathological mechanism, we suspected that increasing prefrontal dopaminergic innervation could improve this disabling symptom.
Methods: We evaluated a group of 24 nondepressed patients with a diagnosis of the behavioral variant of FTD, in order to determine the effectiveness on apathy of agomelatine, an antidepressant with MT1 and MT2 receptor agonism and 5-HT2C receptor antagonism; the latter leads to an increase in prefrontal dopaminergic and noradrenergic tone.
Background: Apathy is well described in neurodegenerative conditions, however to date there is no evidence of significant isolated apathy in subjects free from other neurological and psychiatric co-morbidites. Identifying isolated apathy in subjects free from neuropsychiatric conditions could contribute to refining current concepts of apathy and reevaluate its nosological classification as an independent clinical syndrome.
Methods: We assessed apathy and perceived quality of life in a group of 2751 adults (age 19-40 years) free from neuropsychiatric or medical conditions.
Background: Souvenaid™ is a nutraceutical compound thought to positively enhance synaptic function. In line with this mechanism of action, Souvenaid™ has been shown to improve cognitive function in subjects with mild Alzheimer's disease in randomized clinical trials. To date, however, the potential of Souvenaid™ to improve cognitive functioning in subjects with other neurodegenerative conditions also characterized by synaptic loss has not been explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFactors predicting family history (FH) of premature arterial thrombosis in young patients with ischaemic stroke (IS) have not been extensively investigated, and whether they might influence the risk of post-stroke recurrence is still unknown. In the present study we analysed 1,881 consecutive first-ever IS patients aged 18-45 years recruited from January 2000 to January 2012 as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults (IPSYS). FH of premature arterial thrombosis was any thrombotic event [IS, myocardial infarction or other arterial events event] < 45 years in proband's first-degree relatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Data on long-term risk and predictors of recurrent thrombotic events after ischemic stroke at a young age are limited.
Methods And Results: We followed 1867 patients with first-ever ischemic stroke who were 18 to 45 years of age (mean age, 36.8±7.