A window into the mind-brain-body interplay: Development of diagnostic, prognostic biomarkers, and rehabilitation strategies in functional motor disorders.

Background And Aims: Functional motor disorders (FMD) present a prevalent, yet misunderstood spectrum of neurological conditions characterized by abnormal movements (i.e., functional limb weakness, tremor, dystonia, gait impairments), leading to substantial disability and diminished quality of life.

Analysis of individual alpha frequency in a large cohort from a tertiary memory center.

Background And Purpose: Precise and timely diagnosis is crucial for the optimal use of emerging disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer disease (AD). Electroencephalography (EEG), which is noninvasive and cost-effective, can capture neural abnormalities linked to various dementias. This study explores the use of individual alpha frequency (IAF) derived from EEG as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in cognitively impaired patients.

Gait Analysis and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Characteristics in Patients with Isolated Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder.

Background: Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behavioral disorder (iRBD) can precede neurodegenerative diseases. There is an urgent need for biomarkers to aid early intervention and neuroprotection.

Objective: The aim is to assess quantitative motor, cognitive, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) characteristics in iRBD patients.

Stepwise Functional Brain Architecture Correlates with Atrophy in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Background: Stepwise functional connectivity (SFC) detects whole-brain functional couplings of a selected region of interest at increasing link-step topological distances.

Objective: This study applied SFC to test the hypothesis that stepwise architecture propagating from the disease epicenter would shape patterns of brain atrophy in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson's syndrome (PSP-RS).

Methods: Thirty-six patients with PSP-RS and 44 age-matched healthy control subjects underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging on a 3-T scanner.

Caudate functional networks influence brain structural changes with aging.

Neurogenesis decline with aging may be associated with brain atrophy. Subventricular zone neuron precursor cells possibly modulate striatal neuronal activity via the release of soluble molecules. Neurogenesis decay in the subventricular zone may result in structural alterations of brain regions connected to the caudate, particularly to its medial component.

Clinical and neuroanatomical characterization of the semantic behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia in a multicenter Italian cohort.

Background: Semantic behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (sbvFTD) is a neurodegenerative condition presenting with specific behavioral and semantic derangements and predominant atrophy of the right anterior temporal lobe (ATL). The objective was to evaluate clinical, neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and genetic features of an Italian sbvFTD cohort, defined according to recently proposed guidelines, compared to semantic variant primary progressive aphasia (svPPA) and behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) patients.

Methods: Fifteen sbvFTD, sixty-three bvFTD, and twenty-five svPPA patients and forty controls were enrolled.

Clinical and neuroimaging characterization of the first frontotemporal dementia family carrying the MAPT p.K298E mutation.

We present an in-depth clinical and neuroimaging analysis of a family carrying the MAPT K298E mutation associated with frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Initial identification of this mutation in a single clinical case led to a comprehensive investigation involving four affected siblings allowing to elucidate the mutation's phenotypic expression.A 60-year-old male presented with significant behavioral changes and progressed rapidly, exhibiting speech difficulties and cognitive decline.

Cervical motion alterations and brain functional connectivity in cervical dystonia.

Introduction: Evaluating the neural correlates of sensorimotor control deficits in cervical dystonia (CD) is fundamental to plan the best treatment. This study aims to assess kinematic and resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) characteristics in CD patients relative to healthy controls.

Methods: Seventeen CD patients and 14 age-/sex-matched healthy controls were recruited.

Dual-task gait training improves cognition and resting-state functional connectivity in Parkinson's disease with postural instability and gait disorders.

Objectives: To assess whether dual-task gait/balance training with action observation training (AOT) and motor imagery (MI) ameliorates cognitive performance and resting-state (RS) brain functional connectivity (FC) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with postural instability and gait disorders (PIGD).

Methods: 21 PD-PIGD patients were randomized into 2 groups: (1) DUAL-TASK + AOT-MI group performed a 6-week training consisting of AOT-MI combined with practicing observed-imagined gait and balance exercises; and (2) DUAL-TASK group performed the same exercises combined with landscape-videos observation. At baseline and after training, all patients underwent a computerized cognitive assessment, while 17 patients had also RS-fMRI scans.

Structural and Functional Brain Network Connectivity at Different King's Stages in Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Background And Objectives: There is currently no validated disease-stage biomarker for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The identification of quantitative and reproducible markers of disease stratification in ALS is fundamental for study design definition and inclusion of homogenous patient cohorts into clinical trials. Our aim was to assess the rearrangements of structural and functional brain connectivity underlying the clinical stages of ALS, to suggest objective, reproducible measures provided by MRI connectomics mirroring disease staging.

EEG Correlates in the 3 Variants of Primary Progressive Aphasia.

Background And Objectives: The 3 clinical presentations of primary progressive aphasia (PPA) reflect heterogenous neuropathology, which is difficult to be recognized in vivo. Resting-state (RS) EEG is promising for the investigation of brain electrical substrates in neurodegenerative conditions. In this study, we aim to explore EEG cortical sources in the characterization of the 3 variants of PPA.

Action observation and motor imagery improve motor imagery abilities in patients with Parkinson's disease - A functional MRI study.

Introduction: Motor imagery (MI) skills can be affected in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed at assessing MI and brain functional changes after action observation and MI training (AOT-MI) associated with gait/balance exercises in PD patients with postural instability and gait disorders (PD-PIGD).

Methods: Twenty-five PD-PIGD patients were randomized into two groups: DUAL-TASK + AOT-MI group performed 6-week gait/balance training combined with AOT-MI; DUAL-TASK group performed the same exercises without AOT-MI.

Age-related vulnerability of the human brain connectome.

Multifactorial models integrating brain variables at multiple scales are warranted to investigate aging and its relationship with neurodegeneration. Our aim was to evaluate how aging affects functional connectivity of pivotal regions of the human brain connectome (i.e.

A novel mutation in an Italian patient with non-fluent variant of primary progressive aphasia at onset: a longitudinal case report.

Objectives: We report the clinical presentation and evolution of a case with a novel Progranulin gene () mutation and non-fluent language disturbances at onset.

Materials And Methods: A 60 year-old, white patient was followed due to a history of language disturbances. Eighteen months after onset, the patient underwent FDG positron emission tomography (PET), and at month 24 was hospitalized to perform neuropsychological evaluation, brain 3 T MRI, lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, and genotyping.

Altered Functional Connectivity of the Subthalamic Nucleus in Parkinson's Disease: Focus on Candidates for Deep Brain Stimulation.

Background: The hypothesis that the effectiveness of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) would be related to connectivity dysfunctions between the site of stimulation and other brain regions is growing.

Objective: To investigate how the subthalamic nucleus (STN), the most frequently used DBS target for PD, is functionally linked to other brain regions in PD patients according to DBS eligibility.

Methods: Clinical data and resting-state functional MRI were acquired from 60 PD patients and 60 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects within an ongoing longitudinal project.

Basal ganglia alterations in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has traditionally been associated with brain damage involving the primary motor cortices and corticospinal tracts. In the recent decades, most of the research studies in ALS have focused on extra-motor and subcortical brain regions. The aim of these studies was to detect additional biomarkers able to support the diagnosis and to predict disease progression.