Mechanisms of tremor-modulating effects of primidone and propranolol in essential tremor.

Introduction: Primidone and propranolol are primary treatments for essential tremor, however the exact mechanisms underlying their efficacy are not fully elucidated. Understanding how these medications alleviate tremor may guide the development of additional pharmacologic treatments. Our prospective observational study employed transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to explore mechanisms of primidone and propranolol effects in essential tremor.

Zolpidem improves task-specific dystonia: A randomized clinical trial integrating exploratory transcranial magnetic stimulation and [18F] FDG-PET imaging.

Background: Task-specific dystonia (TSFD) is a disabling movement disorder. Effective treatment options are currently limited. Zolpidem was reported to improve primary focal and generalized dystonia in a proportion of patients.

The Effect of taVNS at 25 Hz and 100 Hz on Parkinson's Disease Gait-A Randomized Motion Sensor Study.

Background: Transcutaneous electrostimulation of the auricular branch of the vagal nerve (taVNS) has the propensity to reach diffuse neuromodulatory networks, which are dysfunctional in Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies support the use of taVNS as an add-on treatment for gait in PD.

Objectives: We assessed the effect of taVNS at 25 Hz (taVNS25), taVNS at 100 Hz (taVNS100), and sham earlobe stimulation (sVNS) on levodopa responsive (arm swing velocity, arm range of motion, stride length, gait speed) and non-responsive gait characteristics (arm range of motion asymmetry, anticipatory postural adjustment [APA] duration, APA first step duration, APA first step range of motion), and turns (first turn duration, double 360° turn duration, steps per turn) in advanced PD.

The effects of transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation on cortical GABAergic and cholinergic circuits: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

Neurophysiological evidence that transcutaneous auricular vagal nerve stimulation (taVNS) affects neuronal signalling at the cortical level is sparse. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to assess the effect of taVNS on the excitability of intracortical GABAergic and cholinergic circuits. In this within-subject, double-blind study on 30 healthy participants, we used TMS paradigms to assess the effect of a single session of taVNS at 100 Hz and sham earlobe VNS (sVNS) on short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) curve and short-latency afferent inhibition (SAI).

Continuous Dopaminergic Stimulation Improves Cortical Maladaptive Changes in Advanced Parkinson's Disease.

Background: With the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD), pulsatile treatment with oral levodopa causes maladaptive changes within basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits, which are clinically expressed as motor fluctuations and dyskinesias. At the level of the motor cortex, these changes may be detected using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), as abnormal corticospinal and intracortical excitability and absent response to plasticity protocols.

Objective: We investigated the effect of continuous dopaminergic stimulation on cortical maladaptive changes related to oral levodopa treatment.

Shaky hands are a part of motor neuron disease phenotype: clinical and electrophysiological study of 77 patients.

Background: In the sharp contrast with the existing literature, we frequently observe minipolymyoclonus, tremor and pseudodystonic thumb posturing in patients with motor neuron disease. We conducted a clinical and electrophysiological study to describe phenomenology, prevalence and pathophysiology of involuntary movements in motor neuron disease.

Methods: We included 77 consecutive patients.

Distractibility predicts favourable response of functional tremor to transcranial magnetic stimulation: An electrophysiological study.

Background: Generation of functional tremor relies on the structures involved in the control of voluntary movements. The clinical diagnosis is based on the presence of "positive signs", which are expression of cognitive and motor distractibility and reflect functional tremor dependence on explicit motor control. In patients who manifest less distractibility, habitual (implicit) control may be of greater significance.

Olfactory evaluation in hospitalised and self-isolated patients with COVID-19: a single-centre experience on 55 cases.

Background: Smell loss is a common symptom of COVID-19 infection. Majority of the studies that evaluated olfactory impairment in COVID-19 used questionnaires (subjective smell evaluations) and did not compare the results with objective or semiobjective measures of smell. We performed smell testing in hospitalised and self-isolated patients with COVID-19 and control participants.

Bee Venom Does Not Reduce the Risk for Parkinson's Disease: Epidemiological Study among Beekeepers.

Background: Based on the promising results from preclinical studies, bee venom has been investigated as a neuroprotective agent in Parkinson's disease.

Objective: To assess if longstanding exposure to bee venom is associated with decreased risk for Parkinson's disease among beekeepers.

Methods: Questionnaire gathering information about diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and exposure to bee stings was posted to 6500 members of Slovenian beekeepers' organisation.

Auditory agnosia with anosognosia.

A 66-year-old right-handed female medical doctor suffered two consecutive cardioembolic strokes, initially affecting the right frontal lobe and the right insula, followed by a lesion in the left temporal lobe. The patient presented with distinctive phenomenology of general auditory agnosia with anosognosia for the deficit. She did not understand verbal requests and her answers to oral questions were fluent but unrelated to the topic.

Central nystagmus in progressive supranuclear palsy: A neglected clinical feature?

Background: Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) features parkinsonism characterized by early postural instability, falls and prominent eye movement abnormalities that consist of saccadic slowing, followed by gaze limitation. Nystagmus is not considered typical for PSP, being more commonly associated with multiple system atrophy.

Objectives: To describe the prevalence and phenomenology of nystagmus in patients with PSP.

Variability of Movement Disorders: The Influence of Sensation, Action, Cognition, and Emotions.

Patients with movement disorders experience fluctuations unrelated to disease progression or treatment. Extrinsic factors that contribute to the variable expression of movement disorders are environment related. They influence the expression of movement disorders through sensory-motor interactions and include somatosensory, visual, and auditory stimuli.

Parkinson's disease in a patient with multiple sclerosis and heterozygous glucocerebrosidase gene mutation.

More than 30 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease (PD) have been reported so far. Theories on the co-occurrence of MS and PD range from coincidental to causal. There has been only one report of MS in young onset PD in a patient heterozygous for mutation.

IMG-01 The spectrum of involuntary movements in patients with motor neuron disease: a cross-sectional study.

We have commonly observed involuntary jerks and tremor in patients with motor neuron disease (MND), even though these features are not considered typical for the disease. We conducted prospective clinical and electrophysiological study to explore the prevalence, phenomenology and pathophysiology of involuntary movements in MND. Seventy-four consecutive patients were clinically examined and video-recorded.

Sex differences in Parkinson's disease: A transcranial magnetic stimulation study.

Background: Demographic and clinical studies imply that female sex may be protective for PD, but pathophysiological evidence to support these observations is missing. In early PD, functional changes may be detected in primary motor cortex using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Objective: We hypothesised that if pathophysiology differs between sexes in PD, this will be reflected in differences of motor cortex measurements.

Dystonia in atypical parkinsonian disorders.

Dystonia is common in the classic atypical parkinsonian disorders such as multiple system atrophy, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration, and to a lesser extent in dementia with Lewy bodies. Its clinical phenomenology, including body distribution, timing of appearance, severity, and relationship to dopaminergic and other medications may vary considerably within and between atypical parkinsonian disorders. From a pathophysiological standpoint, the coexistence of dystonia with parkinsonism challenges the functional model of the basal ganglia.