Clinicians' ability to diagnose dementia with Lewy bodies is not affected by β-amyloid load.

Objective: To investigate whether an increasing load of β-amyloid and/or neuritic plaques influences the phenotype, and thus the clinical diagnostic accuracy, of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).

Methods: A series of 64 subjects with autopsy-proven DLB was studied. Last diagnosis before death was used to determine the clinical diagnostic accuracy of DLB in relation to Lewy body distribution and extent of Alzheimer β-amyloid and/or neuritic pathology.

Epileptic mechanisms in Charles Bonnet syndrome.

Epileptic phenomena are usually not considered a possible cause of prolonged hallucinatory states such as Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS). A 65-year-old woman with previous right hemorrhagic strokes developed complex visual hallucinations (CVHs), featuring CBS, and delayed palinopsic phenomena, along with new neurological signs and worsening of existing deficits. Video/EEG/polygraphy monitoring revealed the presence of right-sided periodic lateralized epileptiform discharges of the "plus" type (PLEDs plus) and documented a focal seizure in close relation to a delayed palinopsia episode.

Focal epileptic seizures mimicking sleep paralysis.

Sleep paralysis (SP) is a common parasomnia. The diagnostic criteria for SP, as reported in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders, are essentially clinical, as electroencephalography (EEG)-polysomnography (PSG) is not mandatory. We describe a subject whose sleep-related events fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for SP, even though her visual hallucinations were elementary, repetitive and stereotyped, thus differing from those usually reported by patients with SP.

Macrogol for the treatment of constipation in Parkinson's disease. A randomized placebo-controlled study.

Chronic constipation is the most frequent symptom of autonomic system involvement in Parkinson's disease (PD). Quite often the symptom is severe and impairs patients' quality of life. The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy and safety of an isosmotic macrogol solution for the treatment of constipation in PD patients, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Relationship between hallucinations, delusions, and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson's disease.

Psychotic symptoms are the main and the most disabling "nonmotor" complications of Parkinson's disease (PD), the pathophysiology of which is poorly recognized. Polysomnographic studies have shown a relationship between visual hallucinations and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The objective of this study is to clarify the relationship between psychotic symptoms and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in PD.

A questionnaire on sleep and mental disorders in Parkinson's disease (QSMDPD): development and application of a new screening tool.

Psychiatric, cognitive and sleep disorders are the most frequent and disabling non-motor complications of Parkinson's disease (PD). To improve the description of sleep and mental disorders in PD patients, we set out to develop a simple and reliable data collection tool (questionnaire) for the screening of large samples of PD patients. The first draft of the questionnaire was administered to a consecutive series of 120 PD patients from the outpatient department of our unit, who were instructed to fill it in with the help of their caregivers.

Dopaminergic modulation of apoptosis in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: possible relevance for Parkinson's disease.

Dopamine (DA) modulates apoptosis in neuronal and non-neuronal cells, and dopaminergic pathways contribute to neurodegenerative disease. Human lymphocytes express dopaminergic receptors and DA transporters, and synthesize endogenous catecholamines, which may modulate apoptosis in these cells. In the present study, dopaminergic modulation of apoptosis was investigated in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from healthy donors.