Using Directional Deep Brain Stimulation to Co-activate the Subthalamic Nucleus and Zona Incerta for Overlapping Essential Tremor/Parkinson's Disease Symptoms.

This index case report describes a novel programming approach that utilizes the 8-contact directional Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) lead to effectively control the akinesia, rigidity and tremor of Parkinson's Disease (PD), as well as a severe kinetic tremor of Essential Tremor (ET), in a patient with overlapping symptoms of both PD and ET. Through utilizing a bipolar directional montage on a single segmented contact, symptom control was attained via likely co-activation of the Subthalamic Nucleus (STN) and the adjacent Zona Incerta (ZI). The patient is a 67-year-old professional guitarist with a long-standing diagnosis of ET manifesting with bilateral kinetic tremor, who then developed right lateralizing symptoms indicative of PD.

Presurgical Rehearsals for Patients Considering "Awake" Deep Brain Stimulation.

Simulated surgical environments are rapidly gaining adoption in training students, residents, and members of specialized surgical teams. However, minimal attention has been given to the use of simulated surgical environments to educate patients on surgical processes, particularly procedures that require the active participation of the patient. "Awake" neurosurgery provides a unique situation in which patients openly participate in their operation.

Nilotinib Effects in Parkinson's disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies.

Background: We evaluated the effects of low doses of the tyrosine kinase Abelson (Abl) inhibitor Nilotinib, on safety and pharmacokinetics in Parkinson's disease dementia or dementia with Lewy bodies.

Objectives: The primary outcomes of this study were safety and tolerability; pharmacokinetics and target engagement were secondary, while clinical outcomes were exploratory.

Methods: Twelve subjects were randomized into 150 mg (n = 5) or 300 mg (n = 7) groups and received Nilotinib orally every day for 24 weeks.

The underlying mechanisms of semantic memory loss in Alzheimer's disease and semantic dementia.

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and patients with semantic dementia (SD) both exhibit deficits on explicit tasks of semantic memory such as picture naming and category fluency. These deficits have been attributed to a degradation of the stored semantic network. An alternative explanation attributes the semantic deficit in AD to an impaired ability to consciously retrieve items from the semantic network.