Growth dynamics of incidental meningiomas: A prospective long-term follow-up study.

Background: There is no consensus on the management of incidental meningiomas. The literature on long-term growth dynamics is sparse and the natural history of these tumors remains to be illuminated.

Methods: We prospectively assessed long-term tumor growth dynamics and survival rates during active monitoring of 62 patients (45 female, mean age 63.

The NADPARK study: A randomized phase I trial of nicotinamide riboside supplementation in Parkinson's disease.

We conducted a double-blinded phase I clinical trial to establish whether nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) replenishment therapy, via oral intake of nicotinamide riboside (NR), is safe, augments cerebral NAD levels, and impacts cerebral metabolism in Parkinson's disease (PD). Thirty newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients received 1,000 mg NR or placebo for 30 days. NR treatment was well tolerated and led to a significant, but variable, increase in cerebral NAD levels-measured by phosphorous magnetic resonance spectroscopy-and related metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid.

A simple score to estimate the likelihood of pseudoprogression vs. recurrence following stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases: The Bergen Criteria.

Background: A major challenge in the follow-up of patients treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for brain metastases (BM) is to distinguish pseudoprogression (PP) from tumor recurrence (TR). The aim of the study was to develop a clinical risk assessment score.

Methods: Follow-up images of 87 of 97 consecutive patients treated with SRS for 348 BM were analyzed.

A prospective study of the natural history of incidental meningioma-Hold your horses!

Background: The number of incidental meningiomas has increased because of the increased availability of neuroimaging. Lack of prospective data on the natural history makes the optimal management unclear. We conducted a 5-year prospective study of incidental meningiomas to identify risk factors for tumor growth.

Subjective judgments of rhythmic complexity in Parkinson's disease: Higher baseline, preserved relative ability, and modulated by tempo.

Previous research has demonstrated that people with Parkinson's disease (PD) have difficulties with the perceptual discrimination of rhythms, relative to healthy controls. It is not however clear if this applies only to simpler rhythms (a so called "beat-based" deficit), or if it is a more generalized deficit that also applies to more complex rhythms. Further insight into how people with PD process and perceive rhythm can refine our understanding of the well known problems of temporal processing in the disease.

Compensatory task-specific hypersensitivity in bilateral planum temporale and right superior temporal gyrus during auditory rhythm and omission processing in Parkinson's disease.

Persons with Parkinson's disease have general timing deficits and have difficulties in rhythm discrimination tasks. The basal ganglia, a crucial part of Parkinson's disease pathology, is believed to play an important role in rhythm and beat processing, with a possible modulation of basal ganglia activity by level of rhythmic complexity. As dysfunction in basal ganglia impacts function in other brain areas in Parkinson's disease during temporal processing, investigating the neuronal basis for rhythm processing is important as it could shed light on the nature of basal ganglia dysfunction and compensatory mechanisms.

Neuroplastic Effects in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury After Music-Supported Therapy.

Damage to the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) often occurs following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and can lead to complex behavioral changes, including difficulty with attention and concentration. We investigated the effects of musical training on patients with behavioral and cognitive deficits following a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and found significant functional neuro-plastic changes in the OFC's networks. The results from neuropsychological tests revealed an improved cognitive performance.

Retraction Note to: Juvenile-onset myasthenia gravis: autoantibody status, clinical characteristics and genetic polymorphisms.

The Joint Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article [1] at the request of the University of Bergen and the Norwegian Board of Health Supervision.

Hyposmia in a simple smell test is associated with accelerated cognitive decline in early Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: Olfactory dysfunction has been related to cognitive deficits in Parkinson's disease (PD), but evidence is conflicting and little is known about the relationship between these symptoms in early PD. Our objective was to study the association between smell deficits measured with a simple odor identification test at diagnosis of PD and the subsequent risk of cognitive decline.

Materials & Methods: One hundred and ninety two PD patients from a population-based study were examined at time of diagnosis, before initiation of dopaminergic treatment, with follow-up of 177 patients after 3 years, 162 patients after 5 years and 146 patients after 7 years.

Effects of music production on cortical plasticity within cognitive rehabilitation of patients with mild traumatic brain injury.

Objective: We explored the effects of playing the piano on patients with cognitive impairment after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and, addressed the question if this approach would stimulate neural networks in re-routing neural connections and link up cortical circuits that had been functional inhibited due to disruption of brain tissue. Functional neuroimaging scans (fMRI) and neuropsychological tests were performed pre-post intervention.

Method: Three groups participated, one mTBI group (n = 7), two groups of healthy participants, one with music training (n = 11), one baseline group without music (n = 12).

Myasthenia gravis and infectious disease.

Background And Purpose: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease with muscular weakness as the only symptom, and often with immunosuppressive treatment. All these aspects could have relevance for the risk of infections as well as their prophylactic and curative treatment.

Methods: This is a review article, where Web of Science has been searched for relevant key words and key word combinations.

Neuronal complex I deficiency occurs throughout the Parkinson's disease brain, but is not associated with neurodegeneration or mitochondrial DNA damage.

Mitochondrial complex I deficiency occurs in the substantia nigra of individuals with Parkinson's disease. It is generally believed that this phenomenon is caused by accumulating mitochondrial DNA damage in neurons and that it contributes to the process of neurodegeneration. We hypothesized that if these theories are correct, complex I deficiency should extend beyond the substantia nigra to other affected brain regions in Parkinson's disease and correlate tightly with neuronal mitochondrial DNA damage.

Predictors of quality of life and survival following Gamma Knife surgery for lung cancer brain metastases: a prospective study.

OBJECTIVE Lung cancer (LC) patients who develop brain metastases (BMs) have a poor prognosis. Estimations of survival and risk of treatment-related deterioration in quality of life (QOL) are important when deciding on treatment. Although we know of several prognostic factors for LC patients with BMs, the role of QOL has not been established.

Juvenile-onset myasthenia gravis: autoantibody status, clinical characteristics and genetic polymorphisms.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder mediated by antibodies against proteins at the neuromuscular junction. Juvenile-onset MG (JMG) has been reported to have special characteristics. It is still unclear whether there are any pathogenic and genetic differences between juvenile and adult MG.

Familial aggregation of Parkinson's disease may affect progression of motor symptoms and dementia.

Background: Familial aggregation has been described in PD of both early and late onset, but has not been studied in a true population-based sample. Moreover, little is known about its association with disease progression and endophenotypes.

Objectives: The objectives of this work were to determine familial aggregation of idiopathic PD in a population-based cohort and study the association with clinical endophenotypes and disease progression.

Autoantibody profile and clinical characteristics in a cohort of Chinese adult myasthenia gravis patients.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder with heterogeneity. Antibodies against acetylcholine receptor (AChR), muscle-specific kinase (MuSK), titin and ryanodine receptor (RyR) were examined in 437 adult Chinese MG patients. The AChR, MuSK, titin and RyR antibodies were found in 82.

Myasthenia gravis - autoantibody characteristics and their implications for therapy.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder caused by autoantibodies that target the neuromuscular junction, leading to muscle weakness and fatigability. Currently available treatments for the disease include symptomatic pharmacological treatment, immunomodulatory drugs, plasma exchange, thymectomy and supportive therapies. Different autoantibody patterns and clinical manifestations characterize different subgroups of the disease: early-onset MG, late-onset MG, thymoma MG, muscle-specific kinase MG, low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 MG, seronegative MG, and ocular MG.

Myasthenia gravis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A pathogenic overlap.

The aim was to examine potential joint disease mechanisms for myasthenia gravis (MG) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through the examination of long-term patient cohorts for comorbidity. Recent studies support early involvement of the neuromuscular junction in ALS patients with subsequent degeneration of motor neurons. Medical records at Haukeland University Hospital from 1987 to 2012 were examined for International Classification of Diseases diagnostic codes for MG and ALS.

[A woman with pareses of the arms and legs].

Background: Hypokalemic pareses are caused by low extracellular potassium levels which reduce the resting membrane potential of muscle cells and make them less excitable. It may be caused by an intracellular shift of potassium, renal potassium loss, reduced potassium intake or increased gastrointestinal loss.

Case Presentation: A woman in her 60s presented with rapid-onset tetraparesis and hyporeflexia starting the day before admission.

The factor structure of the UPDRS motor scores changes during early Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease is a progressive movement disorder recognized by motor symptoms which frequently are measured and longitudinally monitored using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). The factor structure of the UPDRS has yet not been analyzed in early PD.

Methods: A population-based cohort of patients with PD was investigated at the time of diagnosis, one year and three years later.

The effect of group music therapy on mood, speech, and singing in individuals with Parkinson's disease--a feasibility study.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder where patients exhibit impairments in speech production. Few studies have investigated the influence of music interventions on vocal abilities of individuals with PD.

Objectives: To evaluate the influence of a group voice and singing intervention on speech, singing, and depressive symptoms in individuals with PD.

Focal myositis--neurogenic phenomenon?

We report four cases of focal myositis. The patients, three men and one woman, had painful muscle hypertrophy, affecting four different sites. MRI confirmed the muscle enlargement and oedema.

Gamma knife surgery of colorectal brain metastases: a high prescription dose of 25 Gy may improve growth control.

Objective: There are few reports on the effect of gamma knife surgery (GKS) for brain metastases from colorectal cancer. The purpose of this study was to identify prognostic factors for local control, complications, and survival in our series of patients treated with GKS.

Methods: Eighty patients (36 males, 44 females) with 140 metastases who received GKS between 1996 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed.

Myasthenia gravis: a review of available treatment approaches.

Patients with autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) should be further classified before initiating therapy, as treatment response varies for ocular versus generalised, early onset versus late onset, and acetylcholine receptor antibody positive versus MuSK antibody positive disease. Most patients need immunosuppression in addition to symptomatic therapy. Prednisolone and azathioprine represent first choice drugs, whereas several second choice options are recommended and should be considered.