Publications by authors named "Jayaraman Rao"
Importance: Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), an antioxidant that supports mitochondrial function, has been shown in preclinical Parkinson disease (PD) models to reduce the loss of dopamine neurons, and was safe and well tolerated in early-phase human studies. A previous phase II study suggested possible clinical benefit.
Objective: To examine whether CoQ10 could slow disease progression in early PD.
Article Synopsis
- This study examined the potential of using inosine, a urate precursor, to safely elevate serum urate levels in early Parkinson’s disease (PD) as a way to potentially slow down the progression of disability associated with the disease.
- Conducted from 2009 to 2011, the SURE-PD trial involved 75 participants who were either given inosine or a placebo in a controlled environment, with a focus on monitoring safety, tolerability, and urate elevation over a median follow-up of 18 months.
- Results showed that serious adverse events were either similar or lower in the inosine groups compared to placebo, with high tolerability reported; however, 3 participants experienced
Parkinson's disease has now evolved beyond what was considered to be a traditional motor disorder. It is being increasingly recognized that non-motor symptoms such as cognitive impairment, frank dementia, psychosis, depression, autonomic dysfunction and sleep disturbances are just as integral to the disease spectrum. The cholinergic system has been proposed to play a pivotal role in cognitive dysfunction.
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- The study uncovers a new functional link between alpha4beta2 AChRs and neurexin-1beta, a presynaptic cell adhesion molecule, which is essential for their organization at synapses.
- When alpha4beta2 AChRs and neurexin-1beta are coexpressed in hippocampal neurons, they are effectively targeted to synapses, but this targeting is hindered by a mutant form of neurexin-1beta lacking an extracellular domain.
- These findings suggest that dysfunctions in neurexin-1 may play a role in neurological conditions like nicotine dependence and autism spectrum disorders by affecting the positioning of alpha4beta2 AChRs at synapses.
Levodopa provides the most effective symptomatic treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). Initiation of treatment of PD too early and/or very aggressive treatment with large doses of levodopa results in severe motor fluctuations and dyskinesias in 30% of patients with PD. Chronic levodopa treatment over a period of 9 years or more will invariably result in disabling motor fluctuations in 90% of PD patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe structural determinants of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) trafficking have yet to be fully elucidated. Hydrophobic residues occur within short motifs important for endoplasmic reticulum (ER) export or endocytotic trafficking. Hence, we tested whether highly conserved hydrophobic residues, primarily leucines, in the cytoplasmic domain of the alpha4beta2 AChR subunits were required for cell surface expression of alpha4beta2 AChRs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective And Importance: Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inborn error of metabolism that causes severe neurological impairment, despite dietary treatment. We present a case of PKU-induced cerebellar tremor treated with deep brain stimulation. There have been no previously reported cases of a patient with a PKU tremor treated with deep brain stimulation.
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