Optical Coherence Tomography in Huntington's Disease-A Potential Future Biomarker for Neurodegeneration?

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder for which, until now, only symptomatic treatment has been available. Lately, there have been multiple ongoing clinical trials targeting therapeutic agents for preventing disease onset or slowing disease progression in HD. These studies are in constant need of reliable biomarkers for neurodegeneration in HD.

Olfactory dysfunction as potential biomarker in neurodegenerative diseases: a narrative review.

Neurodegenerative diseases represent a group of disorders characterized by progressive degeneration of neurons in the central nervous system, leading to a range of cognitive, motor, and sensory impairments. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the association between neurodegenerative diseases and olfactory dysfunction (OD). Characterized by a decline in the ability to detect or identify odors, OD has been observed in various conditions, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Drug-induced parkinsonism in a patient with DiGeorge syndrome: a case report.

DiGeorge syndrome, also referred as 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is a multisystem disorder associated with an increased risk of early-onset parkinsonism. In this case report, we present a case of a 47-year-old male patient with complex comorbidities and seizures.

Preferences regarding Disclosure of Risk for Parkinson's Disease in a Population-based Study.

Background: Preferences for risk disclosure in population-based studies assessing Parkinson's disease (PD) risk have not been assessed so far.

Objectives: To examine preferences for risk disclosure in a subset of the European Healthy Brain Aging (HeBA) multicenter study.

Methods: After a remote PD risk assessment, a structured pilot-questionnaire on risk disclosure was first presented to participants (≥50 years, without neurodegenerative diseases) during in-person visits at the Innsbruck study site.

Pharmacotherapy for behavioural manifestations in frontotemporal dementia: An expert consensus from the European Reference Network for Rare Neurological Diseases (ERN-RND).

Background And Purpose: Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by pervasive personality and behavioural disturbances with severe impact on patients and caregivers. In current clinical practice, treatment is based on nonpharmacological and pharmacological approaches. Unfortunately, trial-based evidence supporting symptomatic pharmacological treatment for the behavioural disturbances in FTD is scarce despite the significant burden this poses on the patients and caregivers.

Objective and subjective cognitive outcomes one year after COVID-19.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate subjective cognitive, physical, and mental health symptoms as well as objective cognitive deficits in COVID-19 patients 1 year after infection.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Seventy-four patients, who contracted a SARS-CoV-2 infection in 2020, underwent an in-person neuropsychological assessment in 2021.

Long-Term Medication Profiles in Parkinson's Disease under Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation: A Controlled Study.

Background: Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) reduces antiparkinsonian medications in Parkinson's disease (PD) compared with the preoperative state. Longitudinal and comparative studies on this effect are lacking.

Objective: To compare longitudinal trajectories of antiparkinsonian medication in STN-DBS treated patients to non-surgically treated control patients.

Impulse Control Disorders in Parkinson's Disease: An Overview of Risk Factors, Pathogenesis and Pharmacological Management.

Impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease are relatively common drug-induced addictive behaviours that are usually triggered by the dopamine agonists pramipexole, ropinirole and rotigotine. This narrative review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease. We summarised the prevalence, clinical features, risk factors and potential underlying mechanisms of impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease.

Long-term safety and efficacy of open-label nabilone on sleep and pain in Parkinson´s Disease.

The synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol-analog nabilone improved non-motor symptoms (NMS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel-group, randomized withdrawal trial with enriched enrollment (NMS-Nab-study). This was a single-center open-label extension study to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of nabilone for NMS in PD. To be eligible for this study, patients had to be treatment responders during the previous NMS-Nab-trial and complete its double-blind phase without experiencing a drug-related serious/severe/moderate adverse event (AE).

Cognitive dysfunction in de novo Parkinson disease: Remitting vs. progressive cognitive impairment.

Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) exhibits divergent cognitive trajectories; however, the factors contributing to these variations remain elusive. This study aimed to examine the clinical features of patients with different long-term cognitive trajectories in de novo PD over a five-year follow-up.

Methods: We analyzed 258 patients who completed every annual evaluation for five years.

Emotion Recognition in Multiple System Atrophy: An Exploratory Eye-Tracking Study.

Objective: Emotional processing is a core feature of social interactions and has been well studied in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD), albeit with contradictory.

Results: . However, these studies excluded patients with atypical parkinsonism, such as multiple system atrophy (MSA).

Distinct smell and taste disorder phenotype of post-acute COVID-19 sequelae.

Purpose: Olfactory dysfunction (OD) commonly accompanies coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We investigated the kinetics of OD resolution following SARS-CoV-2 infection (wild-type and alpha variant) and its impact on quality of life, physical and mental health.

Methods: OD prevalence was assessed in an ambulatory COVID-19 survey (n = 906, ≥ 90 days follow-up) and an observational cohort of ambulatory and hospitalized individuals (n = 108, 360 days follow-up).

Comparison of different risk scores for Parkinson disease in a population-based 10-year study.

Background And Purpose: Different algorithms aiming to identify individuals at risk of Parkinson disease (PD) have been proposed. Comparative studies of these scores and their recent updates in the general elder population are needed.

Methods: We have previously applied the "basic" PREDICT-PD algorithm, designed for remote screening, and the original and updated Movement Disorder Society (MDS) criteria for prodromal PD to the longitudinal population-based Bruneck study cohort.

Body Composition and Physical Performance 1 Year After COVID-19.

Objective: Long-term consequences after COVID-19 include physical complaints, which may impair physical recovery and quality of life.

Design: We assessed body composition and physical ability in patients 12 months after COVID-19. Consecutively recruited patients recovering from mild to severe COVID-19 were assessed using bioelectrical impedance analysis, 6-min-walk test, additional scales for physical performance and health-related quality of life.

Pimavanserin: A Truly Effective Treatment for Parkinson's Disease Psychosis? A Review of Interventions.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder with a long-term 60% cumulative prevalence of PD psychosis. Medical treatment is limited to few atypical antipsychotic drugs with low affinity to dopamine D2 receptors. In 2016, pimavanserin, a selective 5-HT2A inverse agonist/antagonist, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the only treatment for PD psychosis (PDP).

α-Synuclein Seed Amplification Assays in the Diagnosis of Synucleinopathies Using Cerebrospinal Fluid-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) and protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) have been developed to detect minute amounts of amyloidogenic proteins via amplification techniques and have been used to detect misfolded α-synuclein (αSyn) aggregates in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and other source materials of patients with Parkinson's Disease and other synucleinopathies.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of αSyn seed amplification assays (αSyn-SAAs), including RT-QuIC and PMCA, using CSF as source material to differentiate synucleinopathies from controls.

Methods: The electronic MEDLINE database PubMed was searched for relevant articles published until June 30, 2022.

Temporal Muscle Thickness Correlates with Sarcopenia in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Sarcopenia is characterized by a progressive loss of muscle mass, strength, and function resulting in adverse health outcomes. Current assessment strategies are bothersome and means to simplify the diagnosis are an unmet medical need in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: To evaluate temporal muscle thickness (TMT) obtained on routine cranial MRI as a surrogate marker of sarcopenia in PD patients.

Anti-IgLON5 Disease with Isolated Hemichorea: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background: Anti-IgLON5 disease is an autoimmune encephalopathy with sleep disturbances as a hallmark in the majority of reported cases. Additional clinical symptoms are heterogenous and include movement disorders, bulbar dysfunction, autonomic disorders, and neurocognitive impairment.

Case: Here, we report the case of an 87-year-old woman presenting with isolated progressive hemichorea.

Brain microdialysate tau dynamics predict functional and neurocognitive recovery after poor-grade subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Subarachnoid haemorrhage is a devastating disease that results in neurocognitive deficits and a poor functional outcome in a considerable proportion of patients. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of microtubule-associated tau protein measured in the cerebral microdialysate for long-term functional and neuropsychological outcomes in poor-grade subarachnoid haemorrhage patients. We recruited 55 consecutive non-traumatic subarachnoid haemorrhage patients who underwent multimodal neuromonitoring, including cerebral microdialysis.

Nomogram to Predict the Probability of Functional Dependence in Early Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Early identification of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients at risk for becoming functionally dependent is important for patient counseling. Several models describing the relationship between predictors and outcome have been reported, however, most of these require computer software for practical use.

Objective: Here we report the development of a risk nomogram allowing an approximate graphical computation of the risk of becoming functionally dependent in early PD.

Cognitive dysfunction 1 year after COVID-19: evidence from eye tracking.

Increasing evidence suggests persistent cognitive dysfunction after COVID-19. In this cross-sectional study, frontal lobe function was assessed 12 months after the acute phase of the disease, using tailored eye tracking assessments. Individuals who recovered from COVID-19 made significantly more errors in all eye tracking tasks compared to age/sex-matched healthy controls.

Effects of Nabilone on Sleep Outcomes in Patients with Parkinson's Disease: A Post-hoc Analysis of NMS-Nab Study.

Background: The synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol analogue nabilone improved overall non-motor symptom (NMS) burden in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients in comparison to placebo.

Objectives: To characterize the effects of nabilone on different sleep outcomes in PD patients.

Methods: We performed a post-hoc analysis of the controlled, double-blind, enriched enrollment randomized withdrawal NMS-Nab study to assess the effects of nabilone on sleep outcomes in study participants who reported clinically-relevant sleep problems (MDS-UPDRS-1.

Hospital Admissions of Huntington's Disease Patients in a Huntington's Disease Centre Between 2011 and 2016: A Retrospective Analysis.

Background: Huntington's Disease (HD) is a relentlessly progressive genetic neurodegenerative disorder with characteristic motor, psychiatric, and behavioral abnormalities that inevitably results in severe disability and death. Many patients have multiple hospital admissions during the disease course, but there is limited information which problems lead to hospitalization.

Objectives: To assess acute reasons for hospital admissions, discharge routes, and clinical characteristics of HD patients in a retrospective analysis.