Reliable change indices for the Italian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in non-demented Parkinson's disease patients.

Background: . The present study aimed at deriving regression-based reliable change indices (RCIs) for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Italian cohort of non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: N = 33 consecutive, non-demented PD patients were followed-up at a 5-to-8-month interval (M = 6.

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).

Cerebellar tDCS combined with augmented reality treadmill for freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is often accompanied by gait disorders and freezing of gait (FoG), disabling symptoms that are resistant to conventional dopamine treatments. Given the cerebellum's connectivity with the motor cortex and basal ganglia, and its implication in PD, combining transcranial direct current stimulation targeting the cerebellum (ctDCS) with physical exercise might improve gait and balance.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel rehabilitation approach that combines noninvasive cerebellar stimulation with motor-cognitive training via an augmented reality treadmill (C-Mill VR) in individuals with PD and FoG.

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.

'Knock down the brain': a nonlinear analysis of electroencephalography to study the effects of sub-concussion in boxers.

Background And Purpose: Boxing is associated with a high risk of head injuries and increases the likelihood of chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This study explores the effects of sub-concussive impacts on boxers by applying both linear and nonlinear analysis methods to electroencephalogram (EEG) data.

Methods: Twenty-one boxers were selected (mean ± SD, age 28.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Neuropsychological and Emotional-Behavioural Development in a Group of 8- and 9-Year-Old Children.

: The rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the psychological well-being of millions of people around the world, and even more so among children. Contracting SARS-CoV-2, resulting in home confinement and restrictions on daily and school activities, led to negative effects on the mental health of the paediatric population. Although children suffering from COVID-19 had milder general symptoms compared to adults, impairments in cognitive, neuropsychological, and emotional-behavioural development were noted.

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.

Correction: Counterfactual thinking in psychiatric and neurological diseases: A scoping review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Beyond pain: the influence of psychological factors on functional status in fibromyalgia.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterised by chronic widespread pain, often associated with fatigue, sleep disturbance, cognitive and mood impairment. Pain is a complex and multidimensional experience that significantly impacts personal, social, and professional functioning. Psychological factors related to chronic pain include catastrophising and self-efficacy in managing the painful condition.

Does botulinum toxin affect psycho-social aspects in dystonia?

Dystonia is a movement disorder in which sustained muscle contractions give rise to abnormal postures or involuntary movements. It is a disabling and disfiguring disorder that affects activities of daily living and gives people a bizarre appearance often associated with psychological morbidity, embarrassment and social avoidance. Intramuscular injection of botulinum toxin (BoNT) is the most effective treatment for motor symptoms in focal dystonia, but little is known about its impact on the psycho-social dimension.

The voices of breast cancer survivors with chronic pain: A qualitative thematic analysis of patients' challenges to pain management.

Objectives: Recognizing the limitations of the current pain therapies, the study aimed to explore the unique needs and obstacles related to pain management in Breast Cancer Survivors (BCs) with Chronic Pain (CP).

Methods: 4 focus groups were conducted involving 17 BCs with CP (Mage = 51, SD = 7.99) with varying pain intensities.

The Application of tDCS to Treat Pain and Psychocognitive Symptoms in Cancer Patients: A Scoping Review.

Background: The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to modulate pain, psychological aspects, and cognitive functions has increased in recent years. The present scoping review aims to investigate the use of tDCS in cancer patients and its significant impact on psychocognitive and pain related symptoms.

Methods: From the earliest available date to June 2023, a comprehensive search was conducted in three electronic scientific databases-PubMed, Scopus, and Embase-and other supplementary sources.

Longitudinal Feasibility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in Non-Demented ALS Patients.

Introduction: The present study aimed at testing the longitudinal feasibility of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Italian cohort of non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients.

Methods: N = 39 non-demented ALS patients were followed-up at a 5-to-10-month interval (M = 6.8; SD = 1.

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.

Support for Chronic Pain Management for Breast Cancer Survivors Through Novel Digital Health Ecosystems: Pilot Usability Study of the PainRELife Mobile App.

Background: Chronic pain is one of the most common and critical long-term effects of breast cancer. Digital health technologies enhance the management of chronic pain by monitoring physical and psychological health status and supporting pain self-management and patient treatment decisions throughout the clinical pathway.

Objective: This pilot study aims to evaluate patients' experiences, including usability, with a novel digital integrated health ecosystem for chronic pain named PainRELife.

An exploratory study on counterfactual thinking in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Objectives: This study aimed at exploring (1) the motor and non-motor correlates of counterfactual thinking (CFT) abilities in non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and (2) the ability of CFT measures to discriminate these patients from healthy controls (HCs) and patients with and without cognitive impairment.

Methods: = 110 ALS patients and = 51 HCs were administered two CFT tasks, whose sum, resulting in a CFT Index (CFTI), was addressed as the outcome. Patients further underwent an in-depth cognitive, behavioral, and motor-functional evaluation.

Home-Based Treatment for Chronic Pain Combining Neuromodulation, Computer-Assisted Training, and Telemonitoring in Patients With Breast Cancer: Protocol for a Rehabilitative Study.

Background: Chronic pain is a disabling symptom frequently reported in patients with breast cancer with a prevalence ranging from 25% to 60%, representing a major health issue. It has negative consequences on health status, causing psychological distress and affecting quality of life. Furthermore, the clinical management of chronic pain is often inadequate, and many patients do not benefit from the administration of pharmacological treatments.

PainRE-Life: A FHIR Based Telemonitoring Ecosystem for the Management of Patients with Chronic Pain.

Chronic pain is a condition in which the use of digital health technologies, ecological momentary assessments, and digital communication tools may boost patient's engagement and coping. Here we present the results of the PainRE-Life a project, financed by the Lombardy Region (Italy), aimed to develop a dynamic and integrated technology ecosystem based on big data management and analysis to allow care continuity in patients with pain, and able to act as a decision aid for patients and caregivers.

Monopolar tDCS might affect brainstem reflexes: A computational and neurophysiological study.

Objective: To assess whether monopolar multi-electrode transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) montages might selectively affect deep brain structures through computational predictions and neurophysiological assessment.

Methods: Electric field distribution in deep brain structures (i.e.

Role of expectations in clinical outcomes after deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established treatment that significantly improves the motor symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, patients may experience post-operative psychological distress and social maladjustments. This phenomenon has been shown to be related to patients' pre-operative cognitive representations, such as expectations. In this systematic review, we discuss the findings on the role of the expectations of patients with PD regarding the clinical outcomes of DBS to identify areas of intervention to improve pre-operative patient education and promote successful post-operative psychosocial adjustment.

Ecological Validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment in Non-Demented Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Background: The ecological validity of performance-based cognitive screeners needs to be tested in order for them to be fully recommended for use within clinical practice and research.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine, within an Italian cohort of non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, the ecological validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) by assessing its association with (1) functional independence (FI), (2) quality of life (QoL), and (3) behavioural-psychological (BP) outcomes.

Methods: Seventy-four non-demented PD patients were administered the MoCA and underwent motor functional - i.

Telemedicine for cognitive impairment: a telephone survey of patients' experiences with neurological video consultation.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the experience with telemedicine in patients with cognitive impairments and their caregivers.

Methods: We conducted a survey-based study of patients who completed neurological consultation via video link between January and April 2022.

Results: A total of 62 eligible neurological video consultations were conducted for the following categories of patients: Alzheimer's disease (33.

Glutamatergic dysfunction, neuroplasticity, and redox status in the peripheral blood of patients with motor conversion disorders (functional movement disorders): a first step towards potential biomarkers discovery.

Functional movement disorders (FMD) are characterized by the presence of neurological symptoms that cannot be explained by typical neurological diseases or other medical conditions. First evidence showed that, compared to healthy controls (CTR), FMD patients presented increased levels of glutamate+glutamine in the anterior cingulate cortex/medial prefrontal cortex, and decreased levels of glutamate in the cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting that a glutamatergic dysfunction might play a role in FMD pathophysiology. In this study, 12 FMD patients and 20 CTR were recruited and underwent venous blood sampling and urine collection: levels of glutamate, BDNF, dopamine, oxidative stress, creatinine, neopterin, and uric acid were analyzed.

Single task-level, 2SD-based cutoffs for the Italian version of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS screen (ECAS).

The present study aimed at deriving, by means of a traditional "2 standard deviation-based" (2SD) approach, single task-level cutoffs for the Italian version of the Edinburgh Cognitive and Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS). Cutoffs were derived - as -2* - from the sample of healthy participants (HPs) included within 2016 Poletti 's normative study -  = 248; 104 males; age: 57.8 ± 10.