Cerebellum and basal ganglia connectivity in isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder and Parkinson's disease: an exploratory study.

REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterised by dream-enacting behaviour with loss of muscle atonia during REM sleep and is a prodromal feature of α-synucleinopathies like Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Although cortical-to-subcortical connectivity is well-studied in RBD, cerebellar and subcortical nuclei reciprocal connectivity is less established. Nonetheless, it could be relevant since RBD pathology involves brainstem structures with an ascending gradient.

Iron deficiency in astrocytes alters cellular status and impacts on oligodendrocyte differentiation.

Iron deficiency (ID) has been shown to affect central nervous system (CNS) development and induce hypomyelination. Previous work from our laboratory in a gestational ID model showed that both oligodendrocyte (OLG) and astrocyte (AST) maturation was impaired. To explore the contribution of AST iron to the myelination process, we generated an in vitro ID model by silencing divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) in AST (siDMT1 AST) or treating AST with Fe chelator deferoxamine (DFX; DFX AST).

Hypothalamic involvement in multiple system atrophy: A structural MRI study.

Objective: To investigate hypothalamic atrophy and its clinical correlates in multiple system atrophy (MSA) in-vivo.

Background: MSA is characterized by autonomic dysfunction and parkinsonian/cerebellar manifestations. The hypothalamus regulates autonomic and homeostatic functions and is also involved in memory and learning processes.

Microglia-derived extracellular vesicles in homeostasis and demyelination/remyelination processes.

Microglia (MG) play a crucial role as the predominant myeloid cells in the central nervous system and are commonly activated in multiple sclerosis. They perform essential functions under normal conditions, such as actively surveying the surrounding parenchyma, facilitating synaptic remodeling, engulfing dead cells and debris, and protecting the brain against infectious pathogens and harmful self-proteins. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are diverse structures enclosed by a lipid bilayer that originate from intracellular endocytic trafficking or the plasma membrane.

The Clinical Profile of Tremor in Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Tremor is one of the most troublesome manifestations of Parkinson's Disease (PD) and its response to dopaminergic medication is variable; an evidence-based framework of PD tremor is lacking yet needed to inform future investigations.

Objective: To perform a comprehensive longitudinal analysis on the clinical characteristics, course and response to dopaminergic medication of tremor in de-novo PD.

Methods: Three hundred ninety-seven participants were recruited in the Parkinson Progressive Markers Initiative, a prospective observational cohort study in early de-novo PD.

Corrigendum: The longitudinal progression of autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: a 7-year study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2023.

The longitudinal progression of autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: A 7-year study.

Background: Autonomic dysfunction, including gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and urinary dysfunction, is often present in early Parkinson's Disease (PD). However, the knowledge of the longitudinal progression of these symptoms, and the connection between different autonomic domains, is limited. Furthermore, the relationship between the presence of autonomic symptoms in early-stage PD and olfactory dysfunction, a possible marker of central nervous system involvement, has not been fully investigated.

Transferrin Enhances Neuronal Differentiation.

Although transferrin (Tf) is a glycoprotein best known for its role in iron delivery, iron-independent functions have also been reported. Here, we assessed apoTf (aTf) treatment effects on Neuro-2a (N2a) cells, a mouse neuroblastoma cell line which, once differentiated, shares many properties with neurons, including process outgrowth, expression of selective neuronal markers, and electrical activity. We first examined the binding of Tf to its receptor (TfR) in our model and verified that, like neurons, N2a cells can internalize Tf from the culture medium.

Glial Cell Metabolic Profile Upon Iron Deficiency: Oligodendroglial and Astroglial Casualties of Bioenergetic Adjustments.

Iron deficiency (ID) represents one of the most prevalent nutritional deficits, affecting almost two billion people worldwide. Gestational iron deprivation induces hypomyelination due to oligodendroglial maturation deficiencies and is thus a useful experimental model to analyze oligodendrocyte (OLG) requirements to progress to a mature myelinating state. A previous proteomic study in the adult ID brain by our group demonstrated a pattern of dysregulated proteins involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging Microstructural Abnormalities in Multiple System Atrophy: A Comprehensive Review.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by autonomic failure, ataxia, and/or parkinsonism. Its prominent pathological alterations can be investigated using diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI), a technique that exploits the characteristics of water random motion inside brain tissue. The aim of this report was to review currently available literature on the application of dMRI in MSA and to describe microstructural abnormalities, diagnostic applications, and pathophysiological correlates.

Parkinsonian Syndromes in Motor Neuron Disease: A Clinical Study.

Background: Parkinsonian syndromes may rarely occur in motor neuron disease (MND). However, previous studies are heterogeneous and mostly case reports or small case series. Therefore, we aimed to identify and characterize patients with concurrent parkinsonian syndromes extracted from a cohort of 1,042 consecutive cases diagnosed with MND at a tertiary Italian Center.

Hands-feet wireless devices: Test-retest reliability and discriminant validity of motor measures in Parkinson's disease telemonitoring.

Background: Telemonitoring, a branch of telemedicine, involves the use of technological tools to remotely detect clinical data and evaluate patients. Telemonitoring of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) should be performed using reliable and discriminant motor measures. Furthermore, the method of data collection and transmission, and the type of subjects suitable for telemonitoring must be well defined.

Colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor inhibition attenuates microgliosis and myelin loss but exacerbates neurodegeneration in the chronic cuprizone model.

Multiple sclerosis (MS), especially in its progressive phase, involves early axonal and neuronal damage resulting from a combination of inflammatory mediators, demyelination, and loss of trophic support. During progressive disease stages, a microenvironment is created within the central nervous system (CNS) favoring the arrival and retention of inflammatory cells. Active demyelination and neurodegeneration have also been linked to microglia (MG) and astrocyte (AST)-activation in early lesions.

A familiar study on self-limited childhood epilepsy patients using hIPSC-derived neurons shows a bias towards immaturity at the morphological, electrophysiological and gene expression levels.

Background: Self-limited Childhood Epilepsies are the most prevalent epileptic syndrome in children. Its pathogenesis is unknown. In this disease, symptoms resolve spontaneously in approximately 50% of patients when maturity is reached, prompting to a maturation problem.

The Molecular Neuroimaging of Tremor.

Purpose Of Review: Tremor is a hyperkinetic movement disorder most commonly encountered in essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of this review is to summarize molecular neuroimaging studies with major implications on pathophysiological and clinical features of tremor.

Recent Findings: Oscillatory brain activity responsible for tremor manifestation is thought to originate in a cerebello-thalamo-cortical network.

The Cholinergic Brain in Parkinson's Disease.

The central cholinergic system includes the basal forebrain nuclei, mainly projecting to the cortex, the mesopontine tegmental nuclei, mainly projecting to the thalamus and subcortical structures, and other groups of projecting neurons and interneurons. This system regulates many functions of human behavior such as cognition, locomotion, and sleep. In Parkinson's disease (PD), disruption of central cholinergic transmission has been associated with cognitive decline, gait problems, freezing of gait (FOG), falls, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), neuropsychiatric manifestations, and olfactory dysfunction.

Neurobiological substrates underlying corpus callosum hypoconnectivity and brain metabolic patterns in the valproic acid rat model of autism spectrum disorder.

Atypical connectivity between brain regions and altered structure of the corpus callosum (CC) in imaging studies supports the long-distance hypoconnectivity hypothesis proposed for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aim of this study was to unveil the CC ultrastructural and cellular changes employing the valproic acid (VPA) rat model of ASD. Male Wistar rats were exposed to VPA (450 mg/kg i.

Testing olfactory dysfunction in acute and recovered COVID-19 patients: a single center study in Italy.

Background: Olfactory dysfunction in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is common during acute illness and appears to last longer than other symptoms. The aim of this study was to objectively investigate olfactory dysfunction in two cohorts of patients at two different stages: during acute illness and after a median recovery of 4 months.

Methods: Twenty-five acutely ill patients and 26 recovered subjects were investigated.

Compensating for verbal-motor deficits in neuropsychological assessment in movement disorders: sensitivity and specificity of the ECAS in Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases.

Introduction: The study aims at investigating psychometric properties of the Edinburgh cognitive and behavioural ALS screen (ECAS) in Parkinson's (PD) and Huntington's (HD) diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of the ECAS in highlighting HD and PD cognitive-behavioural features and in differentiating between these two populations and from healthy controls (HC) were evaluated. Moreover, correlations between the ECAS and traditional cognitive measures, together with core clinical features, were analysed.

Iron Metabolism in Oligodendrocytes and Astrocytes, Implications for Myelination and Remyelination.

Iron is a key nutrient for normal central nervous system (CNS) development and function; thus, iron deficiency as well as iron excess may result in harmful effects in the CNS. Oligodendrocytes and astrocytes are crucial players in brain iron equilibrium. However, the mechanisms of iron uptake, storage, and efflux in oligodendrocytes and astrocytes during CNS development or under pathological situations such as demyelination are not completely understood.

Combination therapy of apo-transferrin and thyroid hormones enhances remyelination.

The current study presents two different approaches with a view to elucidating the interaction between thyroid hormones (TH) and apo-transferrin (aTf) and their role in myelination and remyelination. First, in vitro assays were conducted to determine the single and combined effects of aTf and triiodothyronine (T3) on oligodendroglial cell lineage proliferation and oligodendrocyte (OLG) maturation in primary cultures. Results revealed higher proliferation rates upon single aTf treatment but Control values upon T3 and aTf + T3 treatments.