Predictors of Care Home Admission and Survival Rate in Patients With Syndromes Associated With Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration in Europe.

Background And Objectives: Data on care home admission and survival rates of patients with syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are limited. However, their estimation is essential to plan trials and assess the efficacy of intervention. Population-based registers provide unique samples for this estimate.

Brain Connectivity Networks Constructed Using MRI for Predicting Patterns of Atrophy Progression in Parkinson Disease.

Background Whether connectome mapping of structural and functional connectivity across the brain could be used to predict patterns of atrophy progression in patients with mild Parkinson disease (PD) has not been well studied. Purpose To assess the structural and functional connectivity of brain regions in healthy controls and its relationship with the spread of gray matter (GM) atrophy in patients with mild PD. Materials and Methods This prospective study included participants with mild PD and controls recruited from a single center between January 2012 and December 2023.

Frequency of C9orf72, GRN, and MAPT pathogenic variants in patients recruited at the Belgrade Memory Center.

Most of the heritability in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is accounted for by autosomal dominant hexanucleotide expansion in the chromosome 9 open reading frame 72 (C9orf72), pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in progranulin (GRN), and microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) genes. Until now, there has been no systematic analysis of these genes in the Serbian population. Herein, we assessed the frequency of the C9orf72 expansion, pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants in GRN and MAPT in a well-characterized group of 472 subjects (FTD, Alzheimer's disease - AD, mild cognitive impairment - MCI, and unspecified dementia - UnD), recruited in the Memory Center, Neurology Clinic, University Clinical Center of Serbia.

The Impact of Demographic and Clinical Factors on the Quality of Life in Patients with Neurodegenerative Cerebellar Ataxias.

In neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxias, not only ataxia but also extra-cerebellar signs have a significant impact on patients' health related to quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the various aspects of HRQoL and predictors of QoL in patients with neurodegenerative cerebellar ataxias. We included a total of 107 patients with cerebellar degenerative ataxia.

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.

Incidence of Syndromes Associated With Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration in 9 European Countries.

Importance: Diagnostic incidence data for syndromes associated with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) in multinational studies are urgent in light of upcoming therapeutic approaches.

Objective: To assess the incidence of FTLD across Europe.

Design, Setting, And Participants: The Frontotemporal Dementia Incidence European Research Study (FRONTIERS) was a retrospective cohort study conducted from June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2019, using a population-based registry from 13 tertiary FTLD research clinics from the UK, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Bulgaria, Serbia, Germany, and Italy and including all new FTLD-associated cases during the study period, with a combined catchment population of 11 023 643 person-years.

MRI biomarkers of freezing of gait development in Parkinson's disease.

This study investigated longitudinal clinical, structural and functional brain alterations in Parkinson's disease patients with freezing of gait (PD-FoG) and in those developing (PD-FoG-converters) and not developing FoG (PD-non-converters) over two years. Moreover, this study explored if any clinical and/or MRI metric predicts FoG development. Thirty PD-FoG, 11 PD-FoG-converters and 11 PD-non-converters were followed for two years.

Cerebro-cerebellar motor networks in clinical subtypes of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients can be classified in tremor-dominant (TD) and postural-instability-and-gait-disorder (PIGD) motor subtypes. PIGD represents a more aggressive form of the disease that TD patients have a potentiality of converting into. This study investigated functional alterations within the cerebro-cerebellar system in PD-TD and PD-PIGD patients using stepwise functional connectivity (SFC) analysis and identified neuroimaging features that predict TD to PIGD conversion.

Pharmacological Medical Treatment of Epilepsy in Patients with Dementia: A Systematic Review.

Background: Patients with dementia have an increased risk of developing epilepsy, especially in patients with vascular dementia and Alzheimer's disease. In selecting the optimal anti- epileptic drug (AED), the possible side effects such as drowsiness and worsening of cognitive function should be taken into consideration, together with co-morbidities and type of epilepsy.

Objective: The current systematic review investigates the efficacy, tolerability, and changes in cognitive function after administration of AED in patients with dementia and epilepsy.

Longitudinal White Matter Damage Evolution in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) have a role in cognitive impairment in normal brain aging, while the effect on Parkinson's disease (PD) progression is still controversial.

Objective: To investigate the longitudinal evolution of micro- and macrostructural damage of cerebral white matter (WM) and its relationship with the clinical picture in PD.

Methods: A total of 154 PD patients underwent clinical, cognitive, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessment once a year for up to 4 years.

Social Cognition in Patients With Cerebellar Neurodegenerative Disorders.

Objective: Cerebellar neurodegenerative disorders (CDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders. It is known that the cerebellum plays a role not only in motor, but also in cognitive and social cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to investigate social cognition in patients with different CDs.

Oral Health Status and Nutritional Habits as Predictors for Developing Alzheimer's Disease.

Objective: Poor oral health, mainly tooth loss, has been suggested to pose a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). The nature of this relationship can be explained by mastication deficit and nutritional status. Also, the influence of nutritional parameters on cognitive impairment has been documented.

FRONTotemporal dementia Incidence European Research Study-FRONTIERS: Rationale and design.

Introduction: The incidence of Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration (FTLD)-related disorders and their characteristics are not well known. The "FRONTotemporal dementia Incidence European Research Study" (FRONTIERS) is designed to fill this gap.

Methods: FRONTIERS is a European prospective, observational population study based on multinational registries.

Longitudinal clinical, cognitive, and neuroanatomical changes over 5 years in GBA-positive Parkinson's disease patients.

Objective: To study the longitudinal disease course of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with glucocerebrosidase (GBA) mutation (GBA-positive) compared to PD non-carriers (GBA-negative) along a 5-year follow-up, evaluating changes in clinical and cognitive outcomes, cortical thickness, and gray-matter (GM) volumes.

Methods: Ten GBA-positive and 20 GBA-negative PD patients underwent clinical, neuropsychological, and MRI assessments (cortical thickness and subcortical, hippocampal, and amygdala volumes) at study entry and once a year for 5 years. At baseline and at the last visit, each group of patients was compared with 22 age-matched healthy controls.

The assessment of cognitive and behavioural disturbances in vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) - recommendations of an expert working group.

With newer research-based classification systems, the term Vascular Cognitive Impairment (VCI) is now preferred to vascular dementia. VCI is an umbrella term that includes all forms of cognitive deficits ranging from mild cognitive impairment of vascular origin (VaMCI) to vascular dementia (VaD). The new VCI construct takes into account the fact that in addition to single strategic infarcts, multiple infarcts, and leukoaraiosis, there are other mechanisms of cerebrovascular disease such as chronic hypoperfusion that might account for the pattern of cognitive deficits associated with vascular dementia.

Biomarker counseling, disclosure of diagnosis and follow-up in patients with mild cognitive impairment: A European Alzheimer's disease consortium survey.

Objectives: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with an increased risk of further cognitive decline, partly depending on demographics and biomarker status. The aim of the present study was to survey the clinical practices of physicians in terms of biomarker counseling, management, and follow-up in European expert centers diagnosing patients with MCI.

Methods: An online email survey was distributed to physicians affiliated with European Alzheimer's disease Consortium centers (Northern Europe: 10 centers; Eastern and Central Europe: 9 centers; and Southern Europe: 15 centers) with questions on attitudes toward biomarkers and biomarker counseling in MCI and dementia.

Tracking Cortical Changes Throughout Cognitive Decline in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The objectives of this study were to investigate progressive cortical thinning and volume loss in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with different longitudinal patterns of cognitive decline: with stable normal cognition, with stable mild cognitive impairment, with conversion to mild cognitive impairment, and with conversion to dementia.

Methods: We recruited 112 patients (37 Parkinson's disease with stable normal cognition, 20 Parkinson's disease with stable mild cognitive impairment, 36 Parkinson's disease with conversion to mild cognitive impairment, 19 Parkinson's disease with conversion to dementia) and 38 healthy controls. All patients underwent at least 2 visits within 4 years including clinical/cognitive assessments and structural MRI (total visits, 393).

Progressive brain atrophy and clinical evolution in Parkinson's disease.

Clinical manifestations and evolution are very heterogeneous among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aims of this study were to investigate the pattern of progressive brain atrophy in PD according to disease stage and to elucidate to what extent cortical thinning and subcortical atrophy are related to clinical motor and non-motor evolution. 154 patients at different PD stages were assessed over time using motor, non-motor and structural MRI evaluations for a maximum of 4 years.

Longitudinal brain connectivity changes and clinical evolution in Parkinson's disease.

Longitudinal connectivity studies might guide our understanding of the underlying neurodegenerative processes. We report the results of a longitudinal study in patients at different stages of Parkinson's disease (PD), who performed motor and non-motor evaluations and serial resting state (RS) functional MRI (fMRI). Cluster analysis was applied to demographic and clinical data of 146 PD patients to define disease subtypes.

Anticipatory feelings: Neural correlates and linguistic markers.

This review introduces anticipatory feelings (AF) as a new construct related to the process of anticipation and prediction of future events. AF, defined as the state of awareness of physiological and neurocognitive changes that occur within an oganism in the form of a process of adapting to future events, are an important component of anticipation and expectancy. They encompass bodily-related interoceptive and affective components and are influenced by intrapersonal and dispositional factors, such as optimism, hope, pessimism, or worry.

Dynamics of impulsive-compulsive behaviors in early Parkinson's disease: a prospective study.

Introduction: Impulsive compulsive behaviors (ICBs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are debilitating disorders of repetitive, excessive, and compulsive nature affecting up to one third of PD patients. Objectives are to address clinical, psychiatric, and cognitive characteristics of ICBs and to define risk factors in PD patients in the initial motor stage, followed up for 5 years.

Methods: We analyzed 106 consecutive PD outpatients at Hoehn and Yahr disease stage 1 and 125 healthy controls.