Spectrum of hospitalized NeuroCOVID diagnoses from a tertiary care neurology centre in Eastern India.

Purpose: To describe the spectrum of hospitalized NeuroCOVID on admission in a tertiary neurology centre in Kolkata, the largest and most populated metropolitan city in Eastern India.

Method: We retrospectively studied confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted with a neurological condition from 1st May 2020 to 30th January 2021. Neurological diagnoses and their temporal relationship to respiratory features along with clinicodemographic profile for such patients was ascertained.

MRI-negative myeloradiculoneuropathy following Covid-19 infection: An index case.

Covid-19 associated several neurological manifestation in the form of Post-infectious transverse myelitis(TM) and para-infectious TM has been reported. A 54 years old female patient presented to us with acute retention of urine and upper motor neuron type of bilateral lower limb weakness in shock stage, after 12 days of covid-19 infection. MRI (3T) brain and spine showed no abnormality and Nerve conduction study showed acquired motor axonal polyradiculoneuropathy in bilateral lower limbs.

The AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel suppresses epileptic activity in human focal cortical dysplasia.

Focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is one of the most common malformations causing refractory epilepsy. Dysregulation of glutamatergic systems plays a critical role in the hyperexcitability of dysplastic neurons in FCD lesions. The pharmacoresistant nature of epilepsy associated with FCD may be due to a lack of well-tolerated and precise antiepileptic drugs that can target glutamate receptors.

Soluble LAG-3 and Toll-interacting protein: Novel upstream neuro-inflammatory markers in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: There is some evidence regarding the role of LAG-3, TLR mediated neuroinflammation in PD.

Methods: sLAG-3, TOLLIP, NLRP3 levels were measured in PD and healthy controls.

Results: These markers were significantly higher in PD and were associated with progression.

Clinical Significance of Applause Sign in Patients with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.

Applause sign (AS) is a clinical phenomenon observed in several neurological disorders including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). We investigated the factors associated with AS in patients with PSP. PSP patients with AS showed greater motor impairment compared to those with negative AS.

De Novo Movement Disorders and COVID-19: Exploring the Interface.

Background: Neurological manifestations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are being widely documented. However, movement disorders in the setting of 2019 coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19) have been a strikingly less discussed topic.

Objectives: To summarize available pieces of evidence documenting de novo movement disorders in COVID-19.

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation improves clinical and molecular biomarkers of Parkinson's disease in patients with freezing of gait.

Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) is an established neurostimulation therapy used in the treatment of epilepsy, migraine and cluster headache. In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover trial we explored the role of nVNS in the treatment of gait and other motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. In a subgroup of patients, we measured selected neurotrophin levels and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress in serum, before and after the experimental intervention.

Dance movement therapy in rehabilitation of Parkinson's disease - A feasibility study.

Introduction: Environmental enrichment during physical exercise was found beneficial in neurological disorders. Application of dance in a structured way could effectively enhance the environment of physical rehabilitation. Therefore, dance therapy can be an alternative exercise program with potential benefit in affect, cognition and social integration in various neurological disorders.

Do peripheral immune and neurotrophic markers correlate with motor severity of Parkinson's disease?

Background: Inflammation along with oxidative stress alters neuroplasticity which might contribute to neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives: We aimed to explore the correlation of inflammatory-oxidative and neurotrophic changes in PD and their association with clinical staging and motor severity.

Methods: Serum oxidative markers, pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines and BDNF levels were estimated by spectrophotometric and ELISA techniques.

Clinical Study of 668 Indian Subjects with Juvenile, Young, and Early Onset Parkinson's Disease.

Objective: To determine the demographic pattern of juvenile-onset parkinsonism (JP, <20 years), young-onset (YOPD, 20-40 years), and early onset (EOPD, 40-50 years) Parkinson's disease (PD) in India.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a 2-year, pan-India, multicenter collaborative study to analyze clinical patterns of JP, YOPD, and EOPD. All patients under follow-up of movement disorders specialists and meeting United Kingdom (UK) Brain Bank criteria for PD were included.

Botulinum Toxin: An Update on Pharmacology and Newer Products in Development.

Since its introduction as a treatment for strabismus, botulinum toxin (BoNT) has had a phenomenal journey and is now recommended as first-line treatment for focal dystonia, despite short-term clinical benefits and the risks of adverse effects. To cater for the high demand across various medical specialties, at least six US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved formulations of BoNT are currently available for diverse labelled indications. The toxo-pharmacological properties of these formulations are not uniform and thus should not be used interchangeably.

How I do it: Management of venous bleeding from the superior petrosal vein during endoscopic microvascular decompression.

Background: A repair strategy for venous bleeding from the superior petrosal vein (SPV) is essential during endoscopic microvascular decompression.

Method: Sliced oxycellulose seats are rounded off, making balls around 10 mm in diameter. When venous bleeding arises from the SPV, the first oxycellulose ball is placed just behind the SPV in the surgical view.

Persistent Primitive Olfactory Artery: Three Cases.

The persistent primitive olfactory artery is a very rare arterial variant with a little over a score of cases reported in literature so far. We present 3 cases illustrating this entity, which were incidentally diagnosed while imaging for other indications.

Effects of Diazepam on Reaction Times to Stop and Go.

: The ability to stop the execution of a movement in response to an external cue requires intact executive function. The effect of psychotropic drugs on movement inhibition is largely unknown. Movement stopping can be estimated by the Stop Signal Reaction Time (SSRT).

How I do it: endoscopic microvascular decompression for glossopharyngeal neuralgia.

Background: Microvascular decompression (MVD) for glossopharyngeal neuralgia (GPN) is associated with high complication and incomplete cure rates because of its poor ability to visualize neurovascular conflicts.

Method: Fully endoscopic MVD for GPN was carried out through a retrosigmoid keyhole approach. Neurovascular conflicts were clearly demonstrated with a loop of the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) under a 30° endoscopic view, and no significant cerebellar retraction was observed.

Complications following Encephalo-Duro-Arterio-Myo-Synangiosis in a case of Moyamoya disease.

We report a case of an 18-year-old girl diagnosed to have Moyamoya disease (MMD), who underwent bilateral encephalo-duro-arterio-myo-synangiosis. Literature search has clearly inferred that in comparison to an adult patient, children with MMD can have a good prognosis if early diagnosis and active surgical intervention are achieved. Evidence has demonstrated that active surgical management, including indirect bypass surgery, may improve the cerebral circulation on a relatively larger scale than direct bypass surgeries, which can only improve the cerebral circulation in the area of the vascular reconstruction.

Serum 24-hydroxycholesterol in probable Alzheimer's dementia: Reexploring the significance of a tentative Alzheimer's disease biomarker.

Objective: This study measured and analyzed the serum levels of 24-hydroxycholesterol in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) and age-/sex-matched controls.

Methods: A case-control study involving 40 AD patients and 40 controls was performed at a tertiary neurological teaching hospital in eastern India. Blood and serum samples were collected for genotyping and 24-hydroxycholesterol levels, respectively.

Cerebellar slump following removal of haematoma: a manifestation of hydrocephalus?

Cerebellar slump is a rarely reported complication of craniocervical decompression for Chiari malformation. This is known to occur following an oversized bony decompression of the cranio-vertebral junction. The index case is the first reported which developed this phenomenon following cerebellar hemispheric haematoma removal.

Slowed Movement Stopping in Parkinson's Disease and Focal Dystonia is Improved by Standard Treatment.

Patients with Parkinson's disease and focal dystonia have difficulty in generating and preventing movement. Reaction time (RT) and stop signal reaction time (SSRT) measure the speed to initiate and stop a movement respectively. We developed a portable device to assess RT and SSRT.

Inflammasome and α-synuclein in Parkinson's disease: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Alpha-synuclein and inflammatory pathology are evident in Parkinson's disease (PD) but, their link to disease pathogenesis needs further elucidation.

Objectives: To explore α-synuclein-mediated inflammation in the serum of PD patients and its link with disease severity.

Methods: Serum levels of IL-1β, NLRP3, total and phosphorylated α-synuclein were compared.