Introduction: Bradykinesia is an essential diagnostic criterion for Parkinson's disease (PD) but is frequently observed in many non-parkinsonian movement disorders, complicating differential diagnosis, particularly in disorders featuring tremors. The presence of bradykinetic features in the subset of dystonic tremors (DT), either "pure" dystonic tremors or tremors associated with dystonia, remains currently unexplored. The aim of the current study was to evaluate upper limb bradykinesia in DT patients, comparing them with healthy controls (HC) and patients with PD by observing repetitive finger tapping (FT).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that results in potentially debilitating mobility deficits. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been proposed as a novel therapy for PD gait disorders. The highest levels of evidence remain limited for SCS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe progress in markerless technologies is providing clinicians with tools to shorten the time of assessment rapidly, but raises questions about the potential trade-off in accuracy compared to traditional marker-based systems. This study evaluated the OpenCap system against a traditional marker-based system-Vicon. Our focus was on its performance in capturing walking both toward and away from two iPhone cameras in the same setting, which allowed capturing the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe differential diagnosis of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is difficult. The importance of proper diagnosis is particularly important for iNPH, which can be effectively treated with a ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt. In our case report, we present a unique case of a patient with overlapping symptoms and radiological findings of iNPH and PSP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEssential tremor (ET) is a disabling condition resulting from a dysfunction of cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuitry. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) or lesion of the ventral-intermediate thalamic nucleus (VIM) is an effective treatment for severe ET. Transcranial cerebellar brain stimulation has recently emerged as a non-invasive potential therapeutic option.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Strong evidence supports the benefits of exercise for healthy ageing, including reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Recent studies suggested interorgan crosstalk as a key element of systemic adaptive response, however, the role of specific molecules in mediating exercise effects on the human brain are not fully understood. In the present study, we explored the exercise-related regulation of Growth Differentiation Factor 11 (GDF11) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParkinson's disease (PD) affects the language processes, with a significant impact on the patients' daily communication. We aimed to describe specific alterations in the comprehension of syntactically complex sentences in patients with PD (PwPD) as compared to healthy controls (HC) and to identify the neural underpinnings of these deficits using a functional connectivity analysis of the striatum. A total of 20 patients PwPD and 15 HC participated in the fMRI study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patients with Parkinson disease (PD) treated with levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) have higher prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia and peripheral nerves damage.
Objective: The aim of our study was to test the effect of catechol-O-methyl transferase inhibitor tolcapone-as an add-on therapy to LCIG in patients with PD-on homocysteine (HCY) metabolism and nerve conduction study (NCS) parameters.
Methods: We evaluated NCS and serum B12, folic acid, and homocysteine in 16 patients with advanced PD on LCIG.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is currently considered progressive neurodegeneration of both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Widespread neuropathological changes lead to a complex clinical presentation with typical motor (hypokinesia, tremor, and rigidity) and various nonmotor symptoms. Orthostatic hypotension is one of the most disabling nonmotor features contributing to increased morbidity and mortality and decreased quality of life (QoL).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe visualization of the human body has frequently been groundbreaking in medicine. In the last few years, the use of ultrasound (US) imaging has become a well-established procedure for botulinum toxin therapy in people with cervical dystonia (CD). It is now undisputed among experts that some of the most relevant muscles in this indication can be safely injected under visual US guidance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The ability to maintain balance in an upright stance gradually worsens with age and is even more difficult for patients with cognitive disorders. Cognitive impairment plays a probable role in the worsening of stability. The purpose of this study was to expose subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and healthy, age-matched controls to moving visual scenes in order to examine their postural adaptation abilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To assess the concordance of in-utero magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings at 3.0T in fetuses with suspect abnormalities of the central nervous system (CNS) on ultrasonography.
Methods: A retrospective study was done on 222 pregnant women indicated for fetal MRI, with the examination performed within 2 weeks from indication.
Gait disorders (GD) are frequent and disabling symptoms in patients with Parkinson's disease, mostly because they significantly limit mobility and often lead to fear of falls or actual falls. Nowadays, rehabilitation is considered to be the most effective nonpharmacological approach to reduce risk of falls. Using paradigms in virtual reality (VR) is a promising tool in neurorehabilitation because of the potential improvement in motor learning and improvement in daily functioning by replicating everyday real-life scenarios.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol
July 2019
Objectives: Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand other people's mental states, is essential in everyday social interactions. The relationship between cognitive domains and ToM impairment in Parkinson disease (PD) has been receiving growing attention with ambiguous findings. The objective of the current study was to ascertain which cognitive domain predicts understanding of intentions and the impact of PD-specific clinical measures on ToM performance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Good short-term results of pallidal deep brain stimulation have been reported in myoclonus-dystonia. Efficacy and safety in the long term remain to be established. In addition, the actual impact of DBS treatment on social inclusion is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Hepatic encephalopathy may manifest by a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including cognitive impairment, seizures or extrapyramidal symptoms. The liver transplant can lead to improvement of the signs of encephalopathy but subsequent immunosuppressive treatment might possess pronounced neurotoxicity.
Case Presentation: We present a case report of a patient with chronic liver disease who developed signs of Parkinsonism after an orthotopic liver transplant, with consecutive immunosuppressant treatment with tacrolimus.
Background: Dystonia is a movement disorder with patterned, directional, and often sustained muscle contractions that produce abnormal postures or repetitive movements. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) is an effective and safe treatment for medically refractory dystonia. However, recent studies reported gait problems, gait freezing and falls in patients treated with DBS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: It has been suggested that dynamical measures such as sample entropy may be more appropriate than conventional measures when analyzing time series data such as postural sway. We evaluated conventional and dynamical measures of postural sway in Parkinson disease (PD) patients with and without freezing episodes.
Methods: COP (center of pressure) data were recorded during quiet standing with eyes open, eyes closed and while performing a dual task.
Objective: Almost one-third of pregnant women develop symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), which could have a negative impact on quality of life and the course of pregnancy and/or labor. The aim of our study was to determine possible risk factors for developing RLS in pregnant women.
Methods: A total of 300 random women in the third trimester of gravidity filled out a simple questionnaire based on the official diagnostic criteria for RLS.
Objective: Deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus internus (GPi-DBS) is an efficient and safe treatment for medically refractory dystonia. However, recent studies reported gait problems, falls and bradykinesia in patients after the DBS procedure. The aim of this study was to quantify the effect of GPi-DBS on postural performance in patients with cranio-cervical dystonia.
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