Publications by authors named "Ruggero Bonetti"
Background: . The present study aimed at deriving regression-based reliable change indices (RCIs) for the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in an Italian cohort of non-demented Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.
Methods: N = 33 consecutive, non-demented PD patients were followed-up at a 5-to-8-month interval (M = 6.
Objectives: This study aimed at exploring (1) the motor and non-motor correlates of counterfactual thinking (CFT) abilities in non-demented amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and (2) the ability of CFT measures to discriminate these patients from healthy controls (HCs) and patients with and without cognitive impairment.
Methods: = 110 ALS patients and = 51 HCs were administered two CFT tasks, whose sum, resulting in a CFT Index (CFTI), was addressed as the outcome. Patients further underwent an in-depth cognitive, behavioral, and motor-functional evaluation.
Background: This study is aimed at assessing the clinimetric properties and feasibility of the Italian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in patients with Huntington's disease (HD).
Methods: N = 39 motor-manifest HD patients, N = 74 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and N = 92 matched HCs were administered the MoCA. HD patients further underwent the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS), self-report questionnaires for anxiety and depression and a battery of first- and second-level cognitive tests.
Increasing evidence shows that disease spreading in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) follows a preferential pattern with more frequent involvement of contiguous regions from the site of symptom onset. The aim of our study was to assess if: (i) the burden of upper (UMN) and lower motor neuron (LMN) involvement influences directionality of disease spreading; (ii) specific patterns of disease progression are associated with motor and neuropsychological features of different ALS subtypes (classic, bulbar, primary lateral sclerosis, UMN-predominant, progressive muscular atrophy, flail arm, flail leg); and (iii) specific clinical features may help identify ALS subtypes, which remain localized to the site of onset for a prolonged time (regionally entrenching ALS). A single-centre, retrospective cohort of 913 Italian ALS patients was evaluated to assess correlations between directionality of the disease process after symptom onset and motor/neuropsychological phenotype.
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- The study examines the link between serum neurofilament light chain (sNFL) levels and disease characteristics in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared to healthy controls.
- Results show that sNFL levels are significantly higher in ALS patients, especially in females and those with certain disease formats, and are negatively correlated with disease duration and survival.
- The findings suggest that sNFL serves as a specific biomarker for motor neuron degeneration, not extra-motor functions, but its relationship with kidney function raises questions for potential clinical use.
Article Synopsis
- This study evaluated the effectiveness of the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) in assessing cognitive impairment in non-demented Parkinson's disease patients.
- The researchers tested the FAB's validity by comparing it with other cognitive assessments, examining its relationship with motor and behavioral measures, and establishing its reliability over time.
- Results showed that the FAB accurately detected cognitive issues in these patients and distinguished them from healthy controls, making it a reliable tool for identifying dysexecutive dysfunction in this population.
Article Synopsis
- The rs12608932 gene variant is linked to shorter survival in ALS patients, with carriers having up to 33 months less life expectancy compared to those without the variant.
- A study analyzed genotype data from 972 ALS patients, focusing on various clinical features, including cognitive scores and motor neuron involvement.
- Results showed that patients with at least one minor C allele had a shorter median survival compared to those with the AA genotype and exhibited more severe upper motor neuron symptoms.
Objective: To compare serum levels of the astrocyte biomarker glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and neurologically healthy controls and to analyze the relations between serum GFAP (sGFAP) and phenotype in ALS.
Methods: We studied 114 ALS patients and 38 controls. sGFAP was quantified with single molecule array (Simoa) technology.
Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) individuals carrying the hexanucleotide repeat expansion (HRE) in the C9orf72 gene (C9Pos) have been described as presenting distinct features compared to the general ALS population (C9Neg). We aim to identify the phenotypic traits more closely associated with the HRE and analyse the role of the repeat length as a modifier factor.
Methods: We studied a cohort of 960 ALS patients (101 familial and 859 sporadic cases).