Fear of falling impairs spatiotemporal gait parameters, mobility, and quality of life in Parkinson's disease: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Fear of Falling (FOF) significantly affects Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients by limiting daily activities and reducing quality of life (QoL). Though common in PD, the relation between FOF, mobility, and QoL remains unclear. This study examines the connections between FOF, gait, daily motor activity, and QoL in PD patients.

The effects of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) on cholinergic neural networks in humans: A neurophysiological study.

Objective: The mechanisms of actions of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) are still unclear, however the activity of the cholinergic system seems to be critical for the induction of VNS-mediated plasticity. Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a well-suited, non-invasive tool to investigate cortical microcircuits involving different neurotransmitters. Herein, we evaluated the effect of taVNS on short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI), a TMS paradigm specifically measuring cholinergic neurotransmission.

The Dlk1-Dio3 noncoding RNA cluster coordinately regulates mitochondrial respiration and chromatin structure to establish proper cell state for muscle differentiation.

The coordinate regulation of metabolism and epigenetics to establish cell state-specific gene expression patterns during lineage progression is a central aspect of cell differentiation, but the factors that regulate this elaborate interplay are not well-defined. The imprinted Dlk1-Dio3 noncoding RNA (ncRNA) cluster has been associated with metabolism in various progenitor cells, suggesting it functions as a regulator of metabolism and cell state. Here, we directly demonstrate that the Dlk1-Dio3 ncRNA cluster coordinates mitochondrial respiration and chromatin structure to maintain proper cell state.

Driving Abilities and Wearing-Off in Parkinson's Disease: A Driving Simulation Study.

Background/objectives: Driving abilities require the synchronized activity of cerebral networks associated with sensorimotor integration, motricity, and executive functions. Drivers with Parkinson's disease (DwP) have impaired driving ability, but little is known about the impact of "wearing-off" and therapies in addition to L-DOPA on driving capacities. This study aimed to (i) compare driving performance between DwP during different motor states and healthy controls and (ii) assess the impact of add-on therapies on driving abilities.