Publications by authors named "Tobias Baumer"

Dystonia is one of the most prevalent movement disorders, characterized by significant clinical and etiological heterogeneity. Despite considerable heritability (~25%) and the identification of several disease-linked genes, the etiology in most patients remains elusive. Moreover, understanding the correlations between clinical manifestation and genetic variants has become increasingly complex.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Cervical dystonia (CD) is a common neurological condition, with about one-third of patients also experiencing tremors in their head and hands, complicating diagnosis and treatment.
  • Researchers analyzed data from over 3,100 CD patients across various continents using machine learning to identify clinical features predicting the presence and nature of neck tremor.
  • Key findings revealed that increased severity of CD, longer disease duration, and older age were strong predictors of neck tremor, with notable differences in tremor characteristics based on gender and the involvement of other body parts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Functional movement disorders are amongst the most common and disabling neurological conditions, placing a significant burden on the healthcare system. Despite the frequency and importance of functional movement disorders, our understanding of the underlying pathophysiology is limited, hindering the development of causal treatment options. Traditionally, functional movement disorders were considered as a psychiatric condition, associated with involuntary movements triggered by psychological stressors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • A large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted with over 6000 participants to investigate genetic risk factors for isolated dystonia, aiming to improve upon earlier studies that found no significant genetic links.
  • The study included 4303 dystonia patients and 2362 healthy controls, analyzing various factors like age of onset and affected body areas, but ultimately failed to identify any common genetic variants associated with dystonia.
  • The findings suggest that isolated dystonia may not be influenced by common genetic variations, highlighting the need for more extensive studies like whole-genome sequencing to uncover potential genetic contributions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Our objective was to provide expert consensus on best practices for anatomy teaching and training on ultrasound-guided botulinum neurotoxin type A (BoNT-A) injection for specialists involved in treating spasticity and dystonia. Nine experts (three neurologists; six physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians) participated in a three-round modified Delphi process. Over three rounds, experts reached consensus on 15 of 16 statements describing best practices for anatomy and BoNT-A injection training.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Progress in genetic diagnosis and orphan drug legislation has led to new therapies for rare neurogenetic diseases (RNDs), but challenges remain in academia, regulation, and finances.
  • The study aims to create a practical framework for developing patient registries that address these challenges and enhance outcomes in care, research, and drug development for RNDs.
  • A comprehensive approach combining literature review, interviews with existing registries, and feedback from various stakeholders was used to ensure the framework meets diverse needs and emphasizes key principles like accessible, independent, and trustworthy data governance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • * A 3-year study, TRANSLATE NAMSE, analyzed data from 1,577 patients, revealing that 32% received molecular diagnoses involving 370 distinct causes, primarily uncommon.
  • * The research showed that combining next-generation sequencing with advanced phenotyping methods improved diagnostic efficiency and helped identify new genotype-phenotype associations, particularly in neurodevelopmental disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The occurrence of tics is the main basis for the diagnosis of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS). Video-based tic assessments are time consuming.

Objective: The aim was to assess the potential of automated video-based tic detection for discriminating between videos of adults with GTS and healthy control (HC) participants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Pallidal deep brain stimulation (GPi-DBS) is an effective treatment for Huntington's disease patients who do not respond to medication, focusing on improving motor symptoms like chorea.
  • - A study on 5 HD patients showed significant reductions in chorea and total motor scores after GPi-DBS, particularly associated with the stimulation of the lateral GPi/GPe region.
  • - Results suggest that targeting the lateral GPi can lead to stable improvements in choreatic symptoms, highlighting the importance of electrode placement in achieving better motor outcomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common form of focal dystonia in adults. Studies show that physiotherapy (PT) in combination with BoNT has an effect on pain in cervical dystonia. We intended to test this hypothesis in a real-world setting to answer the question of whether pain is a good target symptom for prescribing PT.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In the literature on human action control, it is assumed that features of stimuli (S) and responses (R) are integrated into internal representations (so-called event files) that are involved in the execution of an action. Experimentally, the impact of this integration on action control is typically analyzed via S-R binding effects. Recent theorizing in the BRAC framework (Frings et al.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The German Academy for Rare Neurological Diseases (DASNE) was established in 2017 to improve personalized care for patients with rare neurological diseases (RND) by creating a national network of expert professionals.
  • A collaborative Delphi process engaged 37 experts and stakeholders to identify and rank key topics for optimal patient care, resulting in a set of 38 recommendations.
  • The finalized recommendations cover various aspects of RND management, including healthcare structure, interdisciplinary collaboration, diagnostics, and patient advocacy, aimed at enhancing the overall treatment landscape for these conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) and myography (MRM) are emerging imaging methods for detecting diseases of the peripheral nerve system (PNS). Most patients with PNS diseases also undergo needle electromyography (EMG). This study examined whether EMG led to lesions that were detectable using MRN/MRM and whether these lesions could impair image interpretation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Dystonia is a hyperkinetic movement disorder that results in twisting, cramps and tremors due to sustained or intermittent muscle contractions. Cervical dystonia is the most common form of dystonia, in which the head, neck and/or shoulder areas are affected. In addition to these motor symptoms, pain and psychiatric symptoms are frequent in (cervical) dystonia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pathogenic variants in several genes have been linked to genetic forms of isolated or combined dystonia. The phenotypic and genetic spectrum and the frequency of pathogenic variants in these genes have not yet been fully elucidated, neither in patients with dystonia nor with other, sometimes co-occurring movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives: To screen >2000 patients with dystonia or PD for rare variants in known dystonia-causing genes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Sialorrhea is a chronic condition characterized by excessive saliva production, impacting patients' health and quality of life, with several treatment options available, including non-drug methods and medications.
  • - Recent Phase III trials have led to the approval of IncobotulinumtoxinA (Xeomin®) in the USA and EU for treating chronic sialorrhea in both adults and children, highlighting the growing interest in Botulinum Neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) injections.
  • - This review outlines a comprehensive framework for managing sialorrhea, providing updates on treatment recommendations for physicians, patient selection criteria, dosing guidelines, and the safety and long-term benefits of BoNT/A injections.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There are several widely used clinical rating scales for documenting the severity and distribution of various types of dystonia.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of the most commonly used scales in a large group of adults with the most common types of isolated dystonia.

Methods: Global Dystonia Rating Scale (GDRS) and the Burke-Fahn-Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFM) scores were obtained for 3067 participants.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sialorrhea, or drooling, is defined as excessive saliva accumulation and unwanted loss of saliva from the mouth or over the tongue and into the pharynx. It constitutes one of the most frequent and bothersome complaints of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), affecting up to 84% of them. Sialorrhea is a distressing and challenging condition that may result in social isolation, embarrassment, depression, skin infections, poor oral health, and aspiration pneumonia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT) is the first line treatment for cervical dystonia (CD) and treatment outcome significantly depends on the correct identification of the muscles involved.

Phenomenology Shown: In a case with insufficient response to BoNT treatment further work up with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the neck revealed a hypertrophic spinalis cervicis muscle, that is not commonly involved in CD.

Educational Value: This highlights the use of MRI for muscle selection in treatment refractory CD cases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to identify long-term predictors of health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in a diverse group of dystonia patients, focusing on factors like depression and anxiety.
  • - Results showed that higher levels of depression and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) at the beginning of the study were linked to lower HR-QoL after two years, while social anxiety disorder (SAD) influenced pain-related quality of life.
  • - The findings highlight the need to integrate mental health treatments, specifically for anxiety disorders, into dystonia management to improve overall patient quality of life.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is an emerging non-invasive technique that induces electric fields to modulate cerebellar function. Although the effect of cortical tACS seems to be state-dependent, the impact of concurrent motor activation and the duration of stimulation on the effects of cerebellar tACS has not yet been examined. In our study, 20 healthy subjects received neuronavigated 50 Hz cerebellar tACS for 40 s or 20 min, each during performance using a motor sequence learning task (MSL) and at rest.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF