Unleashing creativity in people with Parkinson's disease: a pilot study of a co-designed creative arts therapy.

Background: Conventional medical management, while essential, cannot address all multifaceted consequences of Parkinson's disease (PD). This pilot study explores the potential of a co-designed creative arts therapy on health-related quality of life, well-being, and pertinent non-motor symptoms.

Methods: We conducted an exploratory pilot study with a pre-post design using validated questionnaires.

Propagation of pathologic α-synuclein from kidney to brain may contribute to Parkinson's disease.

The pathogenesis of Lewy body diseases (LBDs), including Parkinson's disease (PD), involves α-synuclein (α-Syn) aggregation that originates in peripheral organs and spreads to the brain. PD incidence is increased in individuals with chronic renal failure, but the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here we observed α-Syn deposits in the kidneys of patients with LBDs and in the kidney and central nervous system of individuals with end-stage renal disease without documented LBDs.

Accuracy and clinical applicability of plasma tau 181 and 217 for Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in a memory clinic cohort.

Plasma tau phosphorylated at threonine 181 (p-tau181) and 217 (p-tau217) have demonstrated high accuracy for Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis, defined by CSF/PET amyloid beta (Aβ) positivity, but most studies have been performed in research cohorts, limiting their generalizability. We studied plasma p-tau217 and p-tau181 for CSF Aβ status discrimination in a cohort of consecutive patients attending an academic memory clinic in Spain (July 2019-June 2024). All patients had CSF AD biomarkers performed as part of their routine clinical assessment.

Associations of inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities on brain MRI with cerebral small vessel disease, cognitive function, and depression symptoms.

Inferior frontal sulcal hyperintensities (IFSH) observed on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI have been proposed as indicators of elevated cerebrospinal fluid waste accumulation in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). However, to validate IFSH as a reliable imaging biomarker, further replication studies are required. The objective of this study was to investigate associations between IFSH and CSVD, and their potential repercussions, i.

Comparative proteomic analysis of astrocytoma tissues from patients with and without seizures.

Astrocytoma is a common type of glioma and a frequent cause of brain tumour-related epilepsy. Although the link between glioma and epilepsy is well established, the precise mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis in astrocytoma remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed proteomic analysis of astrocytoma tissue from patients with and without seizures using mass spectrometry-based techniques.

Clinical spectrum of positional downbeat nystagmus: a diagnostic approach.

Positional downbeat nystagmus (pDBN) is a common finding in dizzy patients, with etiologies ranging from benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) to central vestibular lesions. Although peripheral pDBN often presents with distinct clinical features that differentiate it from BPPV, diagnosing its etiology can be challenging. A thorough clinical evaluation, including the physical characteristics of the nystagmus, response to positional maneuvers, and neurological findings, is often sufficient to diagnose conditions that provoke pDBN such as anterior canal BPPV, atypical posterior canal BPPV, and central causes.

Evaluation of contralateral arterial flow compensation using transcranial Doppler in acute internal carotid artery occlusion and implications for neurological outcome.

Acute internal carotid artery occlusion (AICAO) can result in malignant cerebral edema and unfavorable patient outcomes. This study evaluated the utility of transcranial Doppler (TCD) in assessing contralateral flow compensation and predicting outcomes in patients with AICAO. We enrolled 51 patients within 6 h of symptom onset and conducted TCD examinations to evaluate collateral circulation.

Prehospital scale to differentiate intracerebral hemorrhage from large-vessel occlusion patients: a prospective cohort study.

Evaluating scales to detect large vessel occlusion (LVO) could aid in considering early referrals to a thrombectomy-capable center in the prehospital stroke code setting. Nevertheless, they entail a significant number of false positives, corresponding to intracranial hemorrhages (ICH). Our study aims to identify easily collectible variables for the development of a scale to differentiate patients with ICH from LVO.

Correlation between neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio and all-cause and cerebrovascular mortality among hypertension patients.

Neutrophil percentage-to-albumin ratio (NPAR) is a novel inflammatory biomarker and correlated with the progression and clinical outcomes of many diseases. This investigation aimed to clarified the association between NPAR and mortality risk among hypertension patients. The database of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey provided the patient data for hypertension.

Individual-specific strategies inform category learning.

Categorization is an essential task for sensory perception. Individuals learn category labels using a variety of strategies to ensure that sensory signals, such as sounds or images, can be assigned to proper categories. Categories are often learned on the basis of extreme examples, and the boundary between categories can differ among individuals.

Neurochemical Alterations Linked to Persistent COVID-19-Induced Anosmia: Probing Into Orbitofrontal Cortex by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Background: While many COVID-19-induced anosmia patients recover their sense of smell within a few months, a substantial number of them continue to experience olfactory impairment. In our primary study, the metabolic patterns in orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) were observed to exhibit more alterations than other regions. Hence, this study specifically probes into alterations within OFC region in subjects with persistent COVID-19-induced anosmia.

Tuning synapse strength by nanocolumn plasticity.

The precise organization of the complex set of synaptic proteins at the nanometer scale is crucial for synaptic transmission. At the heart of this nanoscale architecture lies the nanocolumn. This aligns presynaptic neurotransmitter release with a high local density of postsynaptic receptor channels, thereby optimizing synaptic strength.

Azygos Vein Stenosis in Frontotemporal Dementia Sagging Brain Syndrome.

Background And Purpose: Symptoms indistinguishable from behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) can develop in patients with spontaneous intracranial hypotension associated with severe brain sagging. An underlying spinal CSF leak can be identified in only a minority of these patients and the success rate of nondirected treatments, such as epidural blood patching and dural reduction surgery, is low. The disability associated with bvFTD sagging brain syndrome is high and, because of the importance of the venous system in the pathophysiology of CSF leaks in general, we have investigated the systemic venous circulation in those patients with recalcitrant symptoms.

Advanced Distance-Resolved Evaluation of the Perienhancing Tumor Areas with FLAIR Hyperintensity Indicates Different ADC Profiles by Promoter Methylation Status in Glioblastoma.

Background And Purpose: Whether differences in the O-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase () promoter methylation status of glioblastoma (GBM) are reflected in MRI markers remains largely unknown. In this work, we analyze the ADC in the perienhancing infiltration zone of GBM according to the corresponding status by using a novel distance-resolved 3D evaluation.

Materials And Methods: One hundred one patients with wild-type GBM were retrospectively analyzed.

Assessment of Attenuation in Pericarotid Fat among Patients with Carotid Plaque and Spontaneous Carotid Dissection.

Background And Purpose: Changes in perivascular fat density (PFD) and its association with inflammation have been topics of interest in both atherosclerotic and nonatherosclerotic vasculopathies. The objective of this study was to assess the PFD in patients with spontaneous internal carotid artery dissection (SICAD) or carotid atherosclerotic plaque, with and without intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH).

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective bicentric analysis of 130 patients (30 with SICAD and 100 with carotid atherosclerotic plaque) who underwent CT angiography was performed.

Homozygous missense variant in causes early-onset neurodegeneration, leukoencephalopathy and autoinflammation.

Biallelic pathogenic variants in cause a fatal autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by recurrent autoinflammation, hypomyelination, progressive neurodegeneration, microcephaly, failure to thrive, liver dysfunction, respiratory chain defects and accumulation of glycogen in skeletal muscle. No missense variants in have been reported to date.We report a 6-year-old boy with microcephaly, global developmental delays, lower limb spasticity with hyperreflexia, epilepsy, abnormal brain MRI, failure to thrive, recurrent fevers and transaminitis.

Association of systemic inflammatory markers with white matter hyperintensities and microstructural injury: an analysis of UK Biobank data.

Background: White matter damage is closely associated with cognitive and psychiatric symptoms and is prevalent in cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD); although the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in CSVD remain elusive, inflammation plays a crucial role. We sought to investigate the relationship between systemic inflammation markers and imaging markers of CVSD, namely white matter hyperintensity (WMH) and microstructural injury.

Methods: We conducted a study involving both cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the UK Biobank Cohort.

Worldwide epidemiology of paediatric multiple sclerosis: data from the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation Atlas of MS, third edition.

Background: Limited data are available on the global rates of paediatric multiple sclerosis. Here, we report on the estimated worldwide prevalence of paediatric MS.

Methods: We included paediatric prevalence data in 2020-2022 (Multiple Sclerosis International Federation Atlas of MS) and the prevalence of child neurologists (International Child Neurology Association).

Working years lost in people with epilepsy: a population-based cohort study.

Background: We quantify the loss of working years for people with epilepsy compared with the general population and consider variation by aetiology, psychiatric comorbidity, sex and age.

Methods: This population-based cohort study included all individuals aged 18-65 years living in Denmark from 1995 to 2018. Using nationwide registers since 1977, we identified people with epilepsy and obtained information on the main source of income or employment for each year during follow-up from 1995 to 2020.

Bridging thrombolysis with tenecteplase versus endovascular thrombectomy alone for large-vessel anterior circulation stroke: a target trial emulation analysis.

Background: Whether bridging thrombolysis with tenecteplase is beneficial compared with thrombectomy alone in patients who had a stroke with large-vessel occlusion remains unclear.

Methods: This is a causal inference study of observational data from the trials SWIFT DIRECT and EXTEND-IA TNK Parts 1 and 2 applying target trial emulation. We compared patients receiving thrombectomy alone to patients receiving tenecteplase 0.

POEMS Syndrome.

POEMS syndrome (Polyneuropathy, Organomegaly, Endocrinopathy, Monoclonal Protein, Skin changes) is a syndrome that involves a monoclonal B-cell proliferation, most often plasmacytic, and a variable number of manifestations listed or not in the acronym. These manifestations include sclerotic bone lesions, plasmacytic Castleman disease, papillary edema, peripheral edema, ascites, thrombocytosis and/or polycythemia, venous and/or arterial thrombosis, and renal, pulmonary, and cardiac impairments . Diagnosis is often delayed due to the rarity of this entity and its clinical polymorphism, which can mimic other neurological disorders.