Striatal Dopaminergic Function and Motor Slowing in Essential Tremor Plus.

Background: While previous imaging studies have generally shown normal striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding in essential tremor (ET), emerging evidence suggests a partial dopaminergic mechanism in this condition and an epidemiological link between ET and Parkinson's disease (PD). This link seems particularly meaningful in ET patients with additional neurological signs, such as slowness of movements, rigidity, or rest tremor (ET+).

Objectives: To investigate the potential dopaminergic pathophysiology of ET+ and to compare it to PD.

Direct Initiation of Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel Infusion After a Positive Levodopa Challenge Test in Advanced Parkinson's Disease.

Introduction: Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) is an established treatment option in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). LCIG treatment is usually initiated with a nasojejunal tube (NJT) test phase before percutaneous endoscopic transgastric jejunostomy (PEG-J) tube installation. However, some centers have used direct initiation with PEG-J.

Intravenous thrombolysis in young adults with ischemic stroke: A cohort study from the international TRISP collaboration.

Background And Aims: Previous observational data indicate that young adults treated with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for acute ischemic stroke have more favorable outcomes and less complications when compared to older adults. Given the limited data on this topic, we aimed to provide more evidence on clinical outcomes and safety in such patients, using a large international thrombolysis registry.

Methods: In this prospective multicenter study, we used data from the Thrombolysis in Ischemic Stroke Patients (TRISP) registry from 1998 to 2020.

Fecal microbiota transplantation influences microbiota without connection to symptom relief in irritable bowel syndrome patients.

Imbalanced microbiota may contribute to the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), thus fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been suggested as a potential treatment. Previous studies on the relationship between clinical improvement and microbiota after FMT have been inconclusive. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomics data from a randomized, placebo controlled FMT trial on 49 IBS patients to analyze changes after FMT in microbiota composition and its functional potential, and to identify connections between microbiota and patients' clinical outcome.

Dietary Caffeine and Brain Dopaminergic Function in Parkinson Disease.

Objective: This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of dietary caffeine intake on striatal dopamine function and clinical symptoms in Parkinson disease in a cross-sectional and longitudinal setting.

Methods: One hundred sixty-three early Parkinson disease patients and 40 healthy controls were investigated with [I]FP-CIT single photon emission computed tomography, and striatal dopamine transporter binding was evaluated in association with the level of daily coffee consumption and clinical measures. After a median interval of 6.

Levodopa-Entacapone-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel Treatment in Advanced Parkinson's Disease: A Single-Center Study of 30 Patients.

Background: Levodopa-entacapone-carbidopa intestinal gel (LECIG) is a novel device assisted treatment option for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been available in Finland since 2020. There is paucity of scientific studies considering LECIG treatment in clinical practice.

Dopamine transporter binding in the brain is linked to irritable bowel syndrome in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but their neurophysiological correlates are not well understood. We recently reported that functional gastrointestinal symptoms were not associated with asymmetry per se but might be associated with lower left striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) binding. The purpose of this study was to further investigate if specific gastrointestinal symptoms associate with monoamine transporter changes in specific striatal or extrastriatal areas.

Intraputamenal Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter Phase 1 Trial.

Background: Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is an unconventional neurotrophic factor that protects dopamine neurons and improves motor function in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: The primary objectives of this study were to assess the safety and tolerability of both CDNF and the drug delivery system (DDS) in patients with PD of moderate severity.

Methods: We assessed the safety and tolerability of monthly intraputamenal CDNF infusions in patients with PD using an investigational DDS, a bone-anchored transcutaneous port connected to four catheters.

Floating door sign does not differentiate Parkinson's disease from essential tremor.

Diagnostic usefulness of the floating door sign was tested in 144 PD patients, 41 essential tremor patients and 38 controls. There were no differences in the presence of floating door sign between PD and ET patients. The sign does not seem to be a reliable differential diagnostic tool.

Fecal microbiome alterations in treatment-naive de novo Parkinson's disease.

Gut microbiota alterations in Parkinson's disease (PD) have been found in several studies and are suggested to contribute to the pathogenesis of PD. However, previous results could not be adequately adjusted for a potential confounding effect of PD medication and disease duration, as almost all PD participants were already using dopaminergic medication and were included several years after diagnosis. Here, the gut microbiome composition of treatment-naive de novo PD subjects was assessed compared to healthy controls (HC) in two large independent case-control cohorts (n = 136 and 56 PD, n = 85 and 87 HC), using 16S-sequencing of fecal samples.

Diagnostic value of micrographia in Parkinson's disease: a study with [I]FP-CIT SPECT.

Micrographia is a common symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), and it may precede other motor symptoms. Despite the high prevalence of micrographia in PD, its neurobiological mechanisms are not known. Given that levodopa may alleviate consistent micrographia and that nondopaminergic essential tremor (ET) is not associated with micrographia, micrographia could possibly be used as an ancillary diagnostic method that reflects nigrostriatal dopamine function.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Dopamine Transporter Asymmetry in Early Parkinson's Disease.

Background: The neurophysiological correlates of gastrointestinal symptoms (GISs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are not well understood. It has been proposed that in patients with a gastrointestinal origin of PD dopaminergic neurodegeneration would be more symmetric.

Objectives: The aim is to assess the associations between GISs and asymmetry of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration in PD.

Single-Center Study of 103 Consecutive Parkinson's Disease Patients with Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel.

Background: Levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) effectively reduces time and dyskinesia and increases time in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). However, patients with LCIG-infusion experience frequent complications and some discontinue treatment early on.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to find predictive factors for early dropout from the LCIG infusion, analyze the treatment burden on the tertiary health care system, and explore changes in medication during the LCIG treatment.

Diagnostic accuracy of glabellar tap sign for Parkinson's disease.

Glabellar tap or reflex (GR) is an old bedside clinical test used in the diagnostics of Parkinson's disease (PD), but its diagnostic value is unclear. This study examines the diagnostic validity and reliability of GR in PD in relation to brain dopaminergic activity. GR was performed on 161 patients with PD, 47 patients with essential tremor (ET) and 40 healthy controls immediately prior to dopamine transporter (DAT) [I]FP-CIT SPECT scanning.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Risk of Parkinson's Disease in Finland: A Nationwide Registry-Based Cohort Study.

Background: The gastrointestinal tract is considered as a potential origin of Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. Besides constipation, appendectomy and inflammatory bowel disease have also been associated with a higher PD-risk, but findings have been inconsistent. To date, there is only one previous study suggesting that irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is associated with an increased risk of PD.

Antibiotic exposure and risk of Parkinson's disease in Finland: A nationwide case-control study.

Background: Gut microbiota alterations have been found in prodromal and established Parkinson's disease (PD). Antibiotic exposure can have long-term effects on the composition of human intestinal microbiota, but a potential connection between antibiotic exposure and risk of PD has not been studied previously.

Objective: To evaluate the impact of antibiotic exposure on the risk of PD in a nationwide, register-based, case-control study.

Burden of non-motor symptoms in unclear parkinsonism and tremor: A study with [I]FP-CIT SPECT.

Background: Non-motor symptoms (NMSs) are clearly more prevalent in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared to healthy individuals. However, NMSs are also common in the elderly and other neurological conditions, and thus, it is not known whether NMSs could be used to differentiate PD from parkinsonism/tremor without dopamine deficiency.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated NMSs immediately before brain dopamine transporter (DAT) [I]FP-CIT SPECT scanning in 193 patients with unclear parkinsonism/tremor.

Comorbidity and retirement in cervical dystonia.

Background: Cervical dystonia (CD) is the most common form of dystonia. The onset of CD is usually before 60 years of age and it may cause severe functional and psychosocial impairment in everyday life. Recently non-motor symptoms have been reported to occur in CD substantially affecting the quality of life.

Individual parkinsonian motor signs and striatal dopamine transporter deficiency: a study with [I-123]FP-CIT SPECT.

Introduction: Total parkinsonian motor symptom severity correlates with presynaptic striatal dopamine function in patients with Parkinson's disease. There is a lack of studies that have investigated the associations between parkinsonian motor signs and striatal dopaminergic deficiency in patients with parkinsonism of an unknown origin. Identification of specific motor signs associated with the highest likelihood of striatal dopamine deficiency could aid the differential diagnostics of parkinsonian and tremor syndromes.

The prevalence of adult-onset isolated dystonia in Finland 2007-2016.

Background: Dystonia is a group of chronic diseases, causing considerable physical and psychosocial stress to patients and health care expenses. We studied the prevalence of different dystonia types in Finland in the years 2007-2016.

Methods: All patients with an ICD-10 code of dystonia were retrieved from the national care register.

A former career as a male elite athlete--does it protect against type 2 diabetes in later life?

Aims/hypothesis: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of impaired glucose regulation in male Finnish former elite athletes and age- and area-matched controls. We hypothesised that vigorous physical activity during young adulthood protects from disturbances in glucose regulation in later life.

Methods: In 2008, 392 former male elite athletes (mean age 72.