Increased brain tissue sodium concentration in Friedreich ataxia: A multimodal MR imaging study.

In patients with Friedreich ataxia, structural MRI is typically used to detect abnormalities primarily in the brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord. The aim of the present study was to additionally investigate possible metabolic changes in Friedreich ataxia using in vivo sodium MRI that may precede macroanatomical alterations, and to explore potential associations with clinical parameters of disease progression. Tissue sodium concentration across the whole brain was estimated from sodium MRI maps acquired at 3 T and compared between 24 patients with Friedreich ataxia (21-57 years old, 13 females) and 23 controls (21-60 years old, 12 females).

Quantitative susceptibility mapping reveals alterations of dentate nuclei in common types of degenerative cerebellar ataxias.

The cerebellar nuclei are a brain region with high iron content. Surprisingly, little is known about iron content in the cerebellar nuclei and its possible contribution to pathology in cerebellar ataxias, with the only exception of Friedreich's ataxia. In the present exploratory cross-sectional study, quantitative susceptibility mapping was used to investigate volume, iron concentration and total iron content of the dentate nuclei in common types of hereditary and non-hereditary degenerative ataxias.

Application of Quantitative Motor Assessments in Friedreich Ataxia and Evaluation of Their Relation to Clinical Measures.

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a rare autosomal-recessive slowly progressive neurodegenerative disorder. As common clinical measures for this devastating disease lack sensitivity, we explored whether (a) the quantitative motor assessments of the Q-Motor battery can enhance clinical characterisation of FRDA; (b) clinical measures can predict Q-Motor outcomes and (c) Q-Motor is sensitive to longitudinal change. At baseline 29 patients and 23 controls and in a 1-year follow-up 14 patients and 6 controls were included.

Cognition in Friedreich's ataxia: a behavioral and multimodal imaging study.

Objective: Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a spinocerebellar degenerative disorder, in which cognitive deficits are sparsely explored. In this behavioral and multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, we investigated the neurocognitive profile and cortico-cerebellar dysfunctions underlying executive functioning in individuals with FRDA.

Methods: 22 FRDA patients and 22 controls were clinically and neuropsychologically examined.

Biological and clinical characteristics of the European Friedreich's Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS) cohort: a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data.

Background: Friedreich's ataxia is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder. Here we report cross-sectional baseline data to establish the biological and clinical characteristics for a prospective, international, European Friedreich's ataxia database registry.

Methods: Within the European Friedreich's Ataxia Consortium for Translational Studies (EFACTS) framework, we assessed a cohort of patients with genetically confirmed Friedreich's ataxia.

Genetic screening for LRRK2 gene G2019S mutation in Parkinson's disease patients from Southern Italy.

Leuchine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene mutations are a common cause of familial and sporadic Parkinson disease (PD). G2019S is the most frequent mutation of the LRRK2 gene and has been reported in about 5-6% of familial and 1-2% of sporadic PD cases. The aim of this study is to investigate the G2019S frequency in a series of 58 familial and 70 sporadic PD patients recruited from Campania, a region in Southern Italy.