The relationship between objective and subjective executive function in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Difficulties in executive functioning (EF) are common in PD; however, the relationship between subjective and objective EF is unclear. Understanding this relationship could help guide clinical EF assessment. This study examined the relationship between subjective self-reported EF (SEF) and objective EF (OEF) and predictors of SEF-OEF discrepancies in PD.

Prospective predictors of care partner burden and depression in Parkinson's disease.

Objectives: Care partners who provide informal care to individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) report higher levels of burden and depression; however, longitudinal research on these symptoms is scarce. The current study assessed changes in care partner burden and depression, and patient and care partner predictors of these symptoms over time. Such knowledge may provide important information for assessment and treatment of depression and burden in care partners of individuals with PD.

Medication Management Performance in Parkinson's Disease: Examination of Process Errors.

Objective: Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) are at risk for increased medication mismanagement, which can lead to worse clinical outcomes. However, the nature of the errors (i.e.

Delineation of Apathy Subgroups in Parkinson's Disease: Differences in Clinical Presentation, Functional Ability, Health-related Quality of Life, and Caregiver Burden.

Background: Apathy is a prevalent, multidimensional neuropsychiatric condition in Parkinson's disease (PD). Several authors have proposed apathy subtypes in PD, but no study has examined the classification of PD patients into distinct apathy subtypes, nor has any study examined the clinical utility of doing so.

Objectives: The current study used a data-driven approach to explore the existence and associated clinical characteristics of apathy subtypes in PD.

Changes in Self- and Informant-Reported Frontal Behaviors in Parkinson's Disease: A Longitudinal Study.

Objective: Frontal behaviors (i.e., executive dysfunction, disinhibition, apathy) are common in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Biobased chiral semi-crystalline or amorphous high-performance polyamides and their scalable stereoselective synthesis.

The use of renewable feedstock is one of the twelve key principles of sustainable chemistry. Unfortunately, bio-based compounds often suffer from high production cost and low performance. To fully tap the potential of natural compounds it is important to utilize their functionalities that could make them superior compared to fossil-based resources.

Factor Analysis of the Apathy Scale in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The Apathy Scale (AS), a popular measure of apathy in Parkinson's disease (PD), has been somewhat limited for failing to characterize dimensions of apathy, such as those involving cognitive, behavioral, and emotional apathy symptoms. This study sought to determine whether factors consistent with these apathy dimensions in PD could be identified on the AS, examine the associations between these factors and disease-related characteristics, and compare PD patients and healthy control (HCs) on identified factors.

Methods: Confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted on AS scores of 157 nondemented PD patients to identify AS factors.

Does the Geriatric Depression Scale measure depression in Parkinson's disease?

Unlabelled: The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) is recommended for screening depression in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Empirical evidence, however, is limited regarding its validity and factor structure in PD. Thus, the current study sought to evaluate the convergent and divergent validity of the GDS, as well as the structure and validity of the derived factors.

Psychometric Properties and Characteristics of the North-East Visual Hallucinations Interview in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Visual Hallucinations (VH) are a common symptom experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, a validated measure of VH has yet to be established for this population. The North-East Visual Hallucinations Interview (NEVHI), a promising VH measure, has not been well validated in PD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity of the NEVHI as well as the proportional identification and characteristics of VH in PD.

Neuropsychiatric Predictors of Cognitive Decline in Parkinson Disease: A Longitudinal Study.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between anxiety, depression, apathy, and cognitive decline in Parkinson disease (PD).

Design: Longitudinal study design to assess whether specific neuropsychiatric, demographic, and clinical features predict future cognitive decline.

Setting: Veterans Affairs San Diego Medical Center and the University of California, San Diego.

Cognitive functioning in individuals with Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injury: A longitudinal study.

Objective: To examine longitudinal changes in cognition in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) with and without a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Methods: Twenty-five PD participants with a history of mild-moderate post-acute (>9 months) TBI and 25 demographically-matched PD controls without a history of TBI were administered measures of cognition (Mattis Dementia Rating Scale), mood, and motor functioning at baseline and at a two-year follow-up evaluation.

Results: Individuals with PD and a history of TBI evidenced significantly greater decrements in overall cognition over the two year follow-up period compared to those without a history of TBI.

IncobotulinumtoxinA for Migraine: A Retrospective Case Series.

Purpose: IncobotulinumtoxinA is used for treating certain movement disorders but lacks published clinical data on use in chronic migraine.

Methods: This retrospective case series was performed by using electronic chart reviews on patients receiving incobotulinumtoxinA for migraine at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System between September 2013 and March 2014. Patients were administered 150 units each, with similar methods used for onabotulinumtoxinA injections.

The utility of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale in Parkinson's disease mild cognitive impairment.

Background: The Movement Disorders Society (MDS) recently proposed guidelines for diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD-MCI) that includes two assessment levels: abbreviated (Level I) and comprehensive (Level II). The aim of this study was to determine the utility of the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS), a recommended Level I test, for detecting Level II PD-MCI diagnosis.

Methods: The study sample included 30 patients diagnosed with PD-MCI based on Level II MDS criteria and 68 PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC).

A randomized clinical trial of high-dosage coenzyme Q10 in early Parkinson disease: no evidence of benefit.

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.

Efficacy and safety of rifampicin for multiple system atrophy: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: No available treatments slow or halt progression of multiple system atrophy, which is a rare, progressive, fatal neurological disorder. In a mouse model of multiple system atrophy, rifampicin inhibited formation of α-synuclein fibrils, the neuropathological hallmark of the disease. We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of rifampicin in patients with multiple system atrophy.

Instrumental activities of daily living are impaired in Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairment.

Objective: Although it is well known that Parkinson's disease (PD) with dementia results in functional decline, little is known about the impact of mild cognitive impairment in PD (PD-MCI) on day-to-day functioning.

Method: Forty-one individuals with PD-MCI, 56 PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC), and 47 healthy older adults were administered two performance-based measures of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) that evaluated medication and financial management. Informants of the PD patients were also administered an IADL questionnaire.

Predictors of performance-based measures of instrumental activities of daily living in nondemented patients with Parkinson's disease.

Few studies have examined instrumental activities of daily living (iADLs) in nondemented Parkinson's disease (PD), and the majority of these studies have used report-based measures, which can have limited validity. The present study had two main goals: (a) to examine the performance of nondemented PD patients on two performance-based measures of iADLs, which are considered more objective functional measures, and (b) to examine the cognitive, motor, and psychiatric correlates of iADL impairment in PD. Ninety-eight nondemented PD patients and 47 healthy older adults were administered performance-based measures that assess the ability to manage medications (Medication Management Ability Assessment) and finances (University of California, San Diego, UCSD, Performance-based Skills Assessment), the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale to assess global cognitive functioning, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale Part III to assess motor symptom severity, and the Geriatric Depression Scale to assess depressive symptoms.

Predictors of discrepancies in Parkinson's disease patient and caregiver ratings of apathy, disinhibition, and executive dysfunction before and after diagnosis.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient and caregiver reports of patient functioning are often used interchangeably in clinical and research settings; however, the consistency of these reports is largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the consistency and predictors of discrepancy between self- and caregiver reports of patient apathy, disinhibition, and executive dysfunction. Fifty-one pairs of nondemented PD patients and their caregivers completed the frontal systems behavior scale (FrSBe).

Validation of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Fatigue is a common symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, a multidimensional scale that measures the impact of fatigue on functioning has yet to be validated in this population. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), a self-report measure that assesses the effects of fatigue on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial functioning, in a sample of nondemented PD patients.

Methods: PD patients (N = 100) completed the MFIS, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS-X), and several additional measures of psychosocial, cognitive, and motor functioning.

Changes on brief cognitive instruments over time in Parkinson's disease.

Two hundred and twenty-one subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) were examined using the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), with a subset of these (n = 98) examined on repeat testing up to 3 years. The MoCA was more sensitive in identifying cognitive deficit, specifically in the domains of visuospatial abilities, language, and memory. In longitudinal study, the MMSE changed significantly over time, particularly in patients with disease duration of >10 years.

Neurobehavioral mechanisms of temporal processing deficits in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) disrupts temporal processing, but the neuronal sources of deficits and their response to dopamine (DA) therapy are not understood. Though the striatum and DA transmission are thought to be essential for timekeeping, potential working memory (WM) and executive problems could also disrupt timing.

Methodology/findings: The present study addressed these issues by testing controls and PD volunteers 'on' and 'off' DA therapy as they underwent fMRI while performing a time-perception task.