Regression-based thresholds to detect clinical changes in verbal fluency after STN-DBS in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) improves motor functions in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) but may cause a decline in specific cognitive domains including executive processes and language. The aim of this study was to derive standardized regression-based (SRB) reliable change indices (RCIs) in an Italian cohort of Parkinson's patients undergoing STN-DBS to detect clinically meaningful variations in verbal fluency (VF) one year after surgery define.

Methods: Before (T0) and 12 months after (T1) surgery, 36 PD patients who underwent bilateral STN-DBS were evaluated with the Alternate Verbal Fluency Battery (AVFB), including phonemic (PVF), semantic (SVF) and alternate VF tests (AVF) and a composite shifting index (CSI).

Can total electrical energy (TEED) after subthalamic DBS alter verbal fluency in Parkinson's disease patients? A preliminary evidence.

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) improves motor outcomes in Parkinson's disease (PD) but may have adverse long-term effects on specific cognitive domains. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between total electrical energy (TEED) delivered by DBS and postoperative changes in verbal fluency.

Methods: Seventeen PD patients undergoing bilateral STN-DBS were assessed with the Alternate Verbal Fluency Battery (AVFB), which includes phonemic (PVF), semantic (SVF), and alternate verbal fluency (AVF) tests, before surgery (T0) and after 6 (T1) and 12 months (T2).

How the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped telepsychology: Insights from an Italian survey.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic rapidly boosted the introduction of certain changes in mental healthcare services, consequently driving up the adoption of remote care delivery options. We conducted an online Italian survey to evaluate telepsychology use, attitudes, acceptance, and training needs, as well as to understand patient-professional interactions in video-consultations, aiming to inform future mental healthcare practices and policies. The current study's survey responses were collected using an anonymous, self-reported questionnaire on the 'REDCap' platform from 25 October 2022 to 26 July 2023.

The Protective Role of Cognitive Reserve: A Preliminary Study on Parkinsonian Patients Undergoing Deep Brain Stimulation.

: High cognitive reserve (CR) has been shown to have beneficial effects on global cognition, cognitive decline, and risk of dementia in Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluated the influence of CR on the long-term cognitive outcomes of patients with PD who underwent subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS). Twenty-five patients with PD underwent neuropsychological screening using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) at baseline, 1 year, and 5 years after bilateral STN-DBS.

Psychometrics and diagnostics of the Italian version of the Alternate Verbal Fluency Battery (AVFB) in non-demented Parkinson's disease patients.

Background: Verbal fluency (VF) tasks are known as suitable for detecting cognitive impairment (CI) in Parkinson's disease (PD). This study thus aimed to evaluate the psychometrics and diagnostics of the Alternate Verbal Fluency Battery (AVFB) by Costa et al. (2014) in an Italian cohort of non-demented PD patients, as well as to derive disease-specific cut-offs for it.