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Eur J Paediatr Neurol 2021 May 6. Epub 2021 May 6.

Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, King's College London, London, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Background: Childhood-onset hyperkinetic movement disorders (HMD), including dystonia are notoriously difficult to treat and there are limited studies showing successful medical, surgical or non-pharmacological interventions.

Methods: This prospective study used grouped data (n = 22) from two studies of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) Approach for patient-selected goals. Eligibility included aged 6-21 years, deep brain stimulation in place, with manual ability classification system level I-IV. Read More

Neuroreport 2021 May;32(7):588-595

Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang University.

Objective: Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) is a common pathological process after traumatic brain injury, which may cause survivors severe functional disorders, including cognitive impairment and physical disability. Recent literature indicated lateral hypothalamus and medial hypothalamus damage during DAI. Thus, we aim to investigate whether there is imaging evidence of hypothalamic injury in patients with DAI and its clinical association. Read More

Cureus 2021 Mar 7;13(3):e13754. Epub 2021 Mar 7.

Orthopedics and Traumatology, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital Lahore, Lahore, PAK.

Objective:  The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of conservative and surgical treatment in cerebral palsy children by evaluating the Medical Research Council (MRC) grading system, modified Ashworth scale, and Barthel Activities of Daily Life (ADL) scale.

Method: This prospective case series was performed using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, King Edward Medical University/Mayo Hospital, Lahore from October 2011 to November 2013. Two hundred children of all ages, having cerebral palsy diagnosed on history and clinical examination were enrolled in the study. Read More

Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat 2021 26;17:945-955. Epub 2021 Mar 26.

Japan Medical Office, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Tokyo, Japan.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests the presence of cognitive impairment in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), which affects their psychosocial function and quality of life (QoL). PERFORM-J (Prospective Epidemiological Research on Functioning Outcomes Related to MDD in Japan) is an observational, multicenter study to assess longitudinal changes in depressive symptoms, psychomotor speed, subjective cognitive function, and psychosocial function.

Methods: Five hundred and eighteen Japanese outpatients with MDD initiating new antidepressant monotherapy (first-line or switch from previous drug) as part of their routine medical care participated in this study. Read More

JMIR Res Protoc 2021 Mar 17;10(3):e22805. Epub 2021 Mar 17.

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the second highest cause of disability worldwide. Standard treatments for MDD include medicine and talk therapy; however, approximately 1 in 5 Canadians fail to respond to these approaches and must consider alternatives. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe, noninvasive method that uses electrical stimulation to change the activation pattern of different brain regions. Read More

Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 02 25;18(5). Epub 2021 Feb 25.

Department of Internal Medicine, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy.

Chronic pain and dysautonomic symptoms deteriorate Systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients' health-related quality of life with serious repercussions on social life and even on sleep. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis can identify cardiovascular autonomic control impairment in subclinical condition. The aim of the present observational cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between dysautonomic symptoms, quality of life status and cardiovascular autonomic profile. Read More

Neural Plast 2021 1;2021:8815144. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Science, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Purpose: This study is aimed at investigating brain structural changes and structural network properties in complete spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, as well as their relationship with clinical variables.

Materials And Methods: Structural MRI of brain was acquired in 24 complete thoracic SCI patients (38.50 ± 11. Read More

Adv Ther 2021 03 4;38(3):1567-1583. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience, McMaster University-MacAnxiety Research Centre, Hamilton, ON, Canada.

Introduction: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of agomelatine on anxious symptoms and functional impairment in a pooled dataset from randomized placebo-controlled trials for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Methods: Data from three randomized, placebo-controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of agomelatine 25-50 mg were pooled. The short-term (12 weeks) efficacy of agomelatine was assessed in regards to (1) anxious symptoms using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), and (2) functional impairment using the Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Read More

J Affect Disord 2021 03 24;282:448-453. Epub 2020 Dec 24.

Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Background: To assess the effect of insulin resistance (IR) on treatment response to the antidepressant, vortioxetine, in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of an 8-week, open-label clinical trial. Ninety-five adults in a primary care setting experiencing a major depressive episode were included. Read More

Dement Neuropsychol 2020 Dec;14(4):387-393

Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte - Natal, RN, Brazil.

Background: The functional capacity of elderly individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD) progressively declines.

Objective: To verify the influence of sociodemographic, clinical, staging, mobility, and postural and cognitive balance data on the impairment of the functional capacity of elderly individuals with AD.

Methods: This observational, analytical, cross-sectional study was performed at the Physiotherapy Department of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Read More

Dev Med Child Neurol 2021 Apr 16;63(4):480-487. Epub 2020 Dec 16.

Department and Research Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy of a virtual reality rehabilitation system of wearable multi-inertial sensors to improve upper-limb function in children with brain injury.

Method: Eighty children (39 males, 41 females) with brain injury including cerebral palsy aged 3 to 16 years (mean age 5y 8mo, SD 2y 10mo) were assessed as part of a multicentre, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. The intervention group received a 30-minute virtual reality intervention and a 30-minute session of conventional occupational therapy while the control group received 60 minutes of conventional occupational therapy per session, with 20 sessions over 4 weeks. Read More

Medicine (Baltimore) 2020 Nov;99(47):e23331

General Practice Department, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai.

Depression has become a growing health issue in the world and is projected to become a leading cause of global burden. However, there is little scientific research on the factors associated with depression in people with disabilities in China. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to explore the prevalence and related factors of depression among people with disabilities in communities in mainland China. Read More

J Clin Neurosci 2020 Oct 17;80:11-15. Epub 2020 Aug 17.

Department of Neurology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, China. Electronic address:

Objectives: Subacute combined degeneration (SCD) is a demyelinating disease commonly caused by vitamin B12 deficiency. Several studies have been reported SCD could be accompanied by anemia. However, the correlation between anemia and clinical severity of SCD patients is unclear. Read More

Braz J Med Biol Res 2020 7;53(11):e8930. Epub 2020 Oct 7.

Department of Neurology, The Second People's Hospital of Lianyungang, Lianyungang, Jiangsu, China.

This study aimed to investigate whether the routine administration of escitalopram for three months would improve the prognosis of patients with ischemic stroke and decrease the plasma copeptin level. A total of 97 patients with acute cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to receive escitalopram (5-10 mg once per day, orally; n=49) or not to receive escitalopram (control group; n=48) for 12 weeks starting at 2-7 days after the onset of stroke. Both groups received conventional treatments, including physiotherapy and secondary prevention of stroke. Read More

J Clin Neurol 2020 Oct;16(4):592-598

Brain Convergence Research Center, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.

Background And Purpose: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that mainly affects the pyramidal motor system. However, recent studies have suggested that degeneration of the extramotor system plays a role in the disability experienced by patients with ALS. We investigated the local shape changes and mean volumes of the subcortical nuclei in sporadic ALS patients with preserved cognition. Read More

Aging Dis 2020 Oct 1;11(5):1021-1028. Epub 2020 Oct 1.

1Department of Neurology, University Clinical Centre of Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fast progressing neurodegenerative disease leading to quadriplegia, anarthria and respiratory insufficiency. A large variety of phenotypes and disability progression requires individually tailored management. Identification of predictors of poor prognosis may not only improve management, but also allow for more precise patients' stratification for clinical trials or research studies. Read More

Phys Ther 2021 01;101(1)

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.

Objective: Identifying subgroups of low back pain (LBP) has the potential to improve prediction of clinical outcomes. Risk stratification is one such strategy that identifies similar characteristics indicative of a common clinical outcome trajectory. The purpose of this study was to determine if an empirically derived subgrouping approach based on physical impairment measures improves information provided from the STarT Back Tool (SBT). Read More

CNS Spectr 2020 Aug 10:1-9. Epub 2020 Aug 10.

Mood Disorders Psychopharmacology Unit, University Health Network, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are highly comorbid, with greater clinical complexity and psychosocial impairment. Several antidepressants have been used in this population, with mixed results. This preliminary study aims to investigate the effects of the multimodal antidepressant vortioxetine in MDD + AUD subjects. Read More

J Am Geriatr Soc 2020 10 1;68(10):2257-2263. Epub 2020 Aug 1.

Centre for Age-Related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Stavanger, Norway.

Background/objectives: Functional status is one of the most important markers of well-being in older adults, but the drivers of functional decline in dementia are not well known. The aim of our work was to study the association of neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSs) with functional decline over 5 years in newly diagnosed people with Alzheimer´s disease (AD) and Lewy body dementia (LBD).

Design: Secondary analysis of the Dementia Study of Western Norway longitudinal cohort study. Read More

J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021 Feb 25;22(2):440-445.e2. Epub 2020 Jul 25.

UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK. Electronic address:

Objectives: To determine clinical characteristics and treatment complications of patients with late-stage Parkinsonism living in nursing homes compared with those living at home.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis.

Setting And Participants: This study is an analysis of 692 patients with late stage Parkinsonism recruited to an in-depth international study, Care of Late-Stage Parkinsonism (CLaSP). Read More

Geriatr Nurs 2020 Nov - Dec;41(6):754-760. Epub 2020 Jun 3.

Department of Neurobiology, Neurology and Geriatrics, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing Institute of Geriatrics, No. 45 Changchun Street, Beijing 100053, China; National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disease of the Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory for Parkinson's Disease, Parkinson Disease Center of Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Beijing, China; Clinical Center for Parkinson's Disease, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China; Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address:

In this study, we investigated the cross-sectional association of Self-perceived health (SPH) with frailty phenotype. A total of 4632 participants of the Beijing Longitudinal Study of Aging II (mean age 75.4 ± 6. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 04 29;10(1):7268. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

GI Sciences, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Gastroenterology, School of Medicine Sciences, University of Manchester and the Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, UK.

Post stroke dysphagia (PSD) is common and associated with poor outcome. The Dysphagia Severity Rating Scale (DSRS), which grades how severe dysphagia is based on fluid and diet modification and supervision requirements for feeding, is used for clinical research but has limited published validation information. Multiple approaches were taken to validate the DSRS, including concurrent- and predictive criterion validity, internal consistency, inter- and intra-rater reliability and sensitivity to change. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2020 Mar 16;21(1):173. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Department of Hand Surgery, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan.

Background: Hand osteoarthritis (OA) has a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and physical function is one of the core domains where patients suffer. The Functional Index for Hand Osteoarthritis (FIHOA) is a leading assessment tool for hand OA-related functional impairment. Our objective was to make a Japanese version of FIHOA (J-FIHOA) and validate it among Japanese hand OA patients. Read More

Acad Emerg Med 2020 08 31;27(8):725-733. Epub 2020 Mar 31.

From the, Division of Emergency Medicine, Department of Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC.

Objectives: Low back pain (LBP) is a common reason for patients to present to emergency departments (EDs). Our objective was to describe the associations between depressive symptoms, pain severity, and functional impairment up to 3 months after initial ED presentation for LBP.

Methods: We performed a secondary analysis on an observational cohort of adult patients from a high-volume, urban ED. Read More

J Neurol 2020 Jun 13;267(6):1622-1631. Epub 2020 Feb 13.

Movement Disorder and Neuromodulation Unit, Department of Neurology, Charité, University Medicine Berlin, Campus Mitte, Charitéplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany.

Objective: Observational study to evaluate the long-term motor and non-motor effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) on medically refractory dystonia.

Background: Dystonia is a chronic disease affecting mainly young patients with a regular life expectancy and lifelong need for therapy. Pallidal DBS is an established treatment for severe isolated dystonia but long-term data are sparse. Read More

Dev Med Child Neurol 2020 07 7;62(7):820-826. Epub 2020 Feb 7.

Division of Pediatric Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

Aim: To evaluate presence and severity of social impairments in alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC) and determine factors that are associated with social impairments.

Method: This was a retrospective analysis of 34 consecutive patients with AHC (19 females, 15 males; mean age: 9y 7mo, SD 8y 2mo, range 2y 7mo-40y), evaluated with the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2).

Results: SRS-2 scores, indicating level of social impairment, were higher than population means (75, SD 14 vs 50, SD 10, p<0. Read More

Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2020 06;51(3):453-460

Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, CAP Research Centre, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm County Council, Gävlegatan 22, 113 30, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) is a brief global measure of functional impairment that is widely used in adult health. We have adapted the WSAS for its use in youth, the WSAS-Youth version (WSAS-Y) and WSAS-Parent version (WSAS-P). This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the scale. Read More

J Neurosurg Spine 2020 Jan 31:1-18. Epub 2020 Jan 31.

1Division of Neurosurgery, Dalhousie University QEII Health Sciences Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; and.

Objective: Despite efforts toward achieving gender equality in clinical trial enrollment, females are often underrepresented, and gender-specific data analysis is often unavailable. Identifying and reducing gender bias in medical decision-making and outcome reporting may facilitate equitable healthcare delivery. Gender disparity in the utilization of surgical therapy has been exemplified in the orthopedic literature through studies of total joint arthroplasty. Read More