Short-Term Motor Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease after Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Combined with Post-Operative Rehabilitation: A Pre-Post Comparison Study.

Background: The effects of subthalamic nuclear deep brain stimulation therapy (STN-DBS) and combined postoperative rehabilitation for patients with Parkinson's disease with postural instability have yet to be well reported. This study investigated the effects of short-term postoperative rehabilitation with STN-DBS on physical function in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Methods: Patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who were admitted to our hospital for STN-DBS surgery were included in this study.

Mutations in CHCHD2 cause α-synuclein aggregation.

Mutations in CHCHD2 are linked to a familial, autosomal dominant form of Parkinson's disease (PD). The gene product may regulate mitochondrial respiratory function. However, whether mitochondrial dysfunction induced by CHCHD2 mutations further yields α-synuclein pathology is unclear.

Balance and Gait Improvements of Postoperative Rehabilitation in Patients with Parkinson's Disease Treated with Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation (STN-DBS).

Background: Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is a surgical treatment to reduce the "off" state motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Postural instability is one of the major impairments, which induces disabilities of activities of daily living (ADLs). The effectiveness of STN-DBS for postural instability is unclear, and the effect of rehabilitation following STN-DBS has remained uncertain.

Evidence that phosphorylated ubiquitin signaling is involved in the etiology of Parkinson's disease.

The ubiquitin (Ub) kinase PINK1 and the E3 Ub ligase Parkin, two gene products associated with young-onset Parkinson's disease (PD), participate in mitochondrial quality control. The phosphorylation of mitochondrial polyUb by PINK1, which is activated in a mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm)-dependent manner, facilitates the mitochondrial translocation and concomitant enzymatic activation of Parkin, leading to the clearance of phospho-polyUb-tagged mitochondria via mitophagy. Thus, Ub phosphorylation is a key event in PINK1-Parkin-mediated mitophagy.

[Acute fulminant brachial plexopathy with good recovery: electrophysiological features].

We report a case of fulminant brachial plexopathy with radicular involvement. A 25-year-old man developed acute total monoplegia in the left upper limb. Needle electromyography showed extensive acute denervation in the C5-T1 spinal segments, and peripheral sensory nerve conduction was normal, mimicking a pre-ganglionic lesion.

Dramatic response of dropped head sign to treatment with steroid in Parkinson's disease: report of three cases.

Neck dystonia is the most common cause of dropped head sign in parkinsonism. Isolated neck extensor myopathy, which is a rare condition, can also cause dropped head sign in parkinsonism, but no improvement has been achieved with immunosuppressive therapy. We report three cases of treatable neck extensor myopathy causing dropped head sign in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Prognosis of Parkinson's disease: time to stage III, IV, V, and to motor fluctuations.

We report a long-term outcome on a large cohort of Japanese patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). A total of 1,768 (793 men, 975 women) consecutive patients visited our clinic from 1 January 1989 to 31 December 2002. Among them, 1,183 patients (531 men, 652 women) came to our clinic within 5 years from the onset of disease and at the Hoehn & Yahr Stage III or less at the first visit.

[Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with rapid progression].

We report a family with autosomal dominant (AD) motor neuron disease. A 41-year-old man developed muscle weakness and fasciculation of the lower extremities. The weakness progressed to the upper extremities and bulbar muscles.