Kynurenic Acid Levels are Increased in the CSF of Alzheimer's Disease Patients.

Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a product of the tryptophan (TRP) metabolism via the kynurenine pathway (KP). This pathway is activated in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer´s disease (AD). KYNA is primarily produced by astrocytes and is considered neuroprotective.

Improvement of impulse control disorders associated with levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel treatment in advanced Parkinson's disease.

Impulse control behaviors are a frequent comorbidity for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) therapy on impulse control disorders (ICDs) in patients with advanced PD. We conducted a multicenter, observational, and prospective (6 months follow-up) study that included consecutive PD patients assigned to LCIG through routine medical practice.

In vivo neurometabolic profiling in orthostatic tremor.

The pathogenesis of orthostatic tremor (OT) remains unclear, although some evidence points to dysfunction in the brainstem or cerebellum. We used single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) (3 T) to investigate whether neurochemical changes underlie abnormal cerebellar or cortical function in OT. Fourteen OT patients and 14 healthy controls underwent 1H-MRS studies with voxels placed in midparietal gray matter and cerebellum (vermis and central white matter).

Resting state functional MRI reveals abnormal network connectivity in orthostatic tremor.

Very little is known about the pathogenesis of orthostatic tremor (OT). We have observed that OT patients might have deficits in specific aspects of neuropsychological function, particularly those thought to rely on the integrity of the prefrontal cortex, which suggests a possible involvement of frontocerebellar circuits. We examined whether resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) might provide further insights into the pathogenesis on OT.

Cognitive and neuropsychiatric features of orthostatic tremor: A case-control comparison.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that the cerebellum could play a role in the pathophysiology of orthostatic tremor. The link between orthostatic tremor and the cerebellum is of interest, especially in light of the role the cerebellum plays in cognition, and it raises the possibility that orthostatic tremor patients could have cognitive deficits consistent with cerebellar dysfunction. Our aim was to examine whether orthostatic tremor patients had cognitive deficits and distinct personality profiles when compared with matched controls.

In vivo gastric detection of α-synuclein inclusions in Parkinson's disease.

α-Synuclein inclusions have been identified in the brain and some parts of the enteric nervous system in Parkinson's disease cases. We aimed to assess these inclusions in gastric mucosa samples from patients with symptomatic Parkinson's disease. Random biopsies were performed by gastroscopy in 28 patients with Parkinson's disease and in 29 age- and sex-matched controls.

Rate of cognitive decline in premotor Parkinson's disease: a prospective study (NEDICES).

Previous research has documented cognitive impairment in the early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). It is not known when this decline starts or if decline progresses at an accelerated rate during the premotor period of the disorder. In this population-based prospective study of older people (≥65 years) from the Neurological Disorders in Central Spain (NEDICES) cohort, we compared the rates of cognitive decline in 3 groups: (1) non-PD elderly controls; (2) prevalent PD patients (those diagnosed with the disease at baseline, 1994-95); and (3) premotor PD subjects (those diagnosed with the disease at follow up, 1997-98, but not at baseline).

Visuo-spatial interference affects the identification of emotional facial expressions in unmedicated Parkinson's patients.

There is evidence that visuo-spatial capacity can become overloaded when processing a secondary visual task (Dual Task, DT), as occurs in daily life. Hence, we investigated the influence of the visuo-spatial interference in the identification of emotional facial expressions (EFEs) in early stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). We compared the identification of 24 emotional faces that illustrate six basic emotions in, unmedicated recently diagnosed PD patients (16) and healthy adults (20), under two different conditions: a) simple EFE identification, and b) identification with a concurrent visuo-spatial task (Corsi Blocks).