Publications by authors named "G Pezzoli"
Background And Objective: Recently, RAB32 has been identified as possibly linked to Parkinson's disease. We studied the prevalence and clinical correlates of the p.Ser71Arg variant in the RAB32 gene in a large case series of Italian patients with Parkinson's disease or atypical parkinsonism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFα-synuclein oligomers within synaptic terminals of autonomic fibers of the skin reliably discriminate Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from healthy controls. Nonetheless, the prognostic role of oligomers for disease progression is unknown. We explored whether α-synuclein oligomers evaluated as proximity ligation assay (PLA) score may predict the worsening of cognitive functions in patients with Parkinson's disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Identifying cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease is complicated due to varied symptoms and incomplete criteria for diagnosis, with existing screening tools (MMSE and MoCA) lacking a unified approach.
- The study analyzed data from 1,780 Parkinson's patients to establish effective cutoffs for MMSE and MoCA scores across different cognitive stages (normal, mild impairment, dementia).
- A new decision tree model was created, suggesting specific MMSE and MoCA scores to accurately diagnose dementia and mild cognitive impairment, improving diagnostic precision and efficiency for clinicians.
Article Synopsis
- Gait disturbances significantly impact the quality of life for Parkinson's disease patients, with current treatments only providing limited benefits.
- Deep brain stimulation (DBS) usually targets symptoms like tremors, but is not very effective for improving gait issues.
- A novel approach called adaptive DBS was tested on one patient, leading to notable improvements in walking and overall symptom management, suggesting it may help optimize stimulation for better gait outcomes.
Objectives: Parkinsonian syndromes are disabling neurodegenerative diseases resulting in reduced muscle function/performance and sarcopenia, but clinical manifestations could be systemic, including deterioration of cognitive function. As studies have reported an association between muscle dysfunction and cognitive decline yet no information on these syndromes is available, we investigated the relationship between sarcopenia, its components, and cognitive function, fatigue, and quality of life (QoL).
Methods: Consecutive patients affected by parkinsonian syndromes were assessed for the presence of sarcopenia using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People-2 algorithm: low strength (handgrip strength: <27 kg [men]; <16 kg [women]) and low appendicular skeletal muscle index by impedance (<7.