Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Mov Disord Clin Pract 2022 May 26;9(4):429-435. Epub 2022 Feb 26.

Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences University College London London United Kingdom.

Major progress has occurred during the last decade in the field of tremor. From the clinical standpoint, a new classification has completely revised the nosology of tremor syndromes and has re-conceptualized essential tremor as a syndrome rather than a single disease entity, fueling an ongoing enlightened debate. Significant advances have been obtained in terms of instrumental measurement of tremor, remarking on the possibility of developing novel treatment strategies based on tremor characteristics, namely tremor-phase. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 May 12;12(1):7845. Epub 2022 May 12.

Faculty of Computer Engineering, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University, Tehran, Iran.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with abnormal [Formula: see text] band oscillations (13-30 Hz) in the cortico-basal ganglia circuits. Abnormally increased striato-pallidal inhibition and strengthening the synaptic coupling between subthalamic nucleus (STN) and globus pallidus externa (GPe), due to the loss of dopamine, are considered as the potential sources of [Formula: see text] oscillations in the basal ganglia. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the basal ganglia subregions is known as a way to reduce the pathological [Formula: see text] oscillations and motor deficits related to PD. Read More

Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep 2022 Jun 16;26:101531. Epub 2022 Apr 16.

Lebanese American University Gillbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine, Byblos, Lebanon.

Purpose: To report convergence insufficiency in a patient with Parkinson's' disease stimulated by turning on the deep brain stimulator.

Observations: 72-year-old male with Parkinson's disease and hypertension presenting for the evaluation of blurry vision at near and mid distance that started after activation of an implanted Deep brain stimulator.Baseline ophthalmologic evaluation prior to deep brain stimulator implantation surgery and with the deep brain stimulator turned off demonstrated a full motility, centered eyes for distance and near and a best corrected visual acuity of 20/20, normal pupil exam, confrontational visual fields and dilated fundus exam. Read More

Sci Rep 2022 May 4;12(1):7251. Epub 2022 May 4.

Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistraße 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of novel stimulation algorithms of deep brain stimulation (short pulse and directional stimulation) in the ventrointermediate thalamus and posterior subthalamic area (VIM/PSA-DBS) on tremor in Parkinson's disease (PD) and to compare the effects with those in essential tremor (ET). We recruited six PD patients (70.8 ± 10. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022 May 2;119(19):e2120808119. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215.

SignificanceDeep brain stimulation (DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is highly effective for treating the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the neural mechanisms by which DBS acts are unknown. PD symptoms are tied to altered brain rhythms in basal ganglia (BG) and particularly the striatum. Read More

Am J Case Rep 2022 Apr 16;23:e935824. Epub 2022 Apr 16.

Department of Pathology, CGB laboratory a.s., Ostrava-Vítkovice, Czech Republic.

BACKGROUND Histiocytic sarcoma is a rare malignant hematopoietic neoplasm with morphologic and immunohistochemical features of histiocytic differentiation, usually with unfavorable prognosis. Despite aggressive biological behavior, in subgroup of patients with localized disease, the prognosis can be very good. Few publications are available on localized cases of histiocytic sarcoma. Read More

PLoS One 2022 14;17(4):e0266936. Epub 2022 Apr 14.

Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective treatment for motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Currently, DBS programming outcome is based on a clinical assessment. In an optimal situation, an objectively measurable feature would assist the operator to select the appropriate settings for DBS. Read More

Transl Neurodegener 2022 04 13;11(1):22. Epub 2022 Apr 13.

PEDEGO Research Unit, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.

Background: Transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of human brain tissue is hindered by the availability of fresh samples from living patients. Postmortem samples usually represent the advanced disease stage of the patient. Furthermore, the postmortem interval can affect the transcriptomic and proteomic profiles. Read More

BMJ Open 2022 Apr 11;12(4):e053831. Epub 2022 Apr 11.

Department of Health Services Research and Policy, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with unplanned 30-day readmissions following a total knee arthroplasty (TKA), including association with post-hospital syndrome, patient enablement and transition from hospital to home.

Design, Setting And Participants: A cross-sectional written survey of public and private patients attending a 6-week follow-up appointment after TKA at one of four clinical services in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) between 1 February 2018 and 31 January 2019. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to measure associations between patient, hospital and transitional care factors with unplanned 30-day readmissions, while controlling for known confounders. Read More

Cells 2022 04 1;11(7). Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Laboratoire de Neurosciences Expérimentales et Cliniques, Inserm, Université de Poitiers, 86022 Poitiers, France.

Intrastriatal embryonic ventral mesencephalon grafts have been shown to integrate, survive, and reinnervate the host striatum in clinical settings and in animal models of Parkinson's disease. However, this ectopic location does not restore the physiological loops of the nigrostriatal pathway and promotes only moderate behavioral benefits. Here, we performed a direct comparison of the potential benefits of intranigral versus intrastriatal grafts in animal models of Parkinson's disease. Read More

PLoS One 2022 7;17(4):e0265314. Epub 2022 Apr 7.

Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Introduction: The preoperative evaluation of Parkinson's Disease (PD) patients for subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) includes the assessment of the neuropsychological status of the patient. A widely used preoperative test is the Mattis Dementia rating scale (MDRS). However, the Montreal cognitive assessment (MoCA) has also been proven to be a sensitive, time-sparing tool with high diagnostic validity in PD. Read More

BMC Neurol 2022 Mar 31;22(1):124. Epub 2022 Mar 31.

Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 100070, China.

Background: To study the effects of subthalamic nucleus-deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on autonomic dysfunctions in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: A total of 57 PD patients who underwent bilateral STN-DBS from March to December 2018, were retrospectively analyzed. Preplanned assessments at baseline and postoperatively at 1, 3, and 6 months also included the Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Autonomic questionnaire (SCOPA-Aut), the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III score, levodopa equivalent day dose (LEDD), Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Scale (PDQ-39), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). Read More

Brain 2022 Apr;145(3):1018-1028

HM CINAC (Centro Integral de Neurociencias Abarca Campal), Hospital Universitario HM Puerta del Sur, HM Hospitales, Madrid, Spain.

The striatal dopaminergic deficit in Parkinson's disease exhibits a typical pattern, extending from the caudal and dorsal putamen at onset to its more rostral region as the disease progresses. Clinically, upper-limb onset of cardinal motor features is the rule. Thus, according to current understanding of striatal somatotopy (i. Read More

J Parkinsons Dis 2022 ;12(3):885-896

Department of Clinical and Movement Neurosciences, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, London, UK.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) and subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) are both known to induce cognitive changes.

Objective: The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of STN-DBS on two forms of conditional associative learning (CAL), trial and error or corrective feedback learning, which differed in difficulty to test the load-dependency hypothesis of the cognitive effects of STN-DBS in PD.

Methods: We recruited two groups of PD patients, those who had STN-DBS surgery bilaterally (n = 24) and a second unoperated group (n = 9) who were assessed on two versions of a task of visual CAL involving either a more difficult trial and error learning or a relatively easier corrective feedback learning. Read More

Stem Cells Transl Med 2022 Apr;11(4):383-393

Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People's Republic of China.

The effects of neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) have been extensively evaluated by multiple studies in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD), but the therapeutic efficacy was inconsistent. Here, we searched 4 databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science) and performed a meta-analysis to estimate the therapeutic effects of unmodified NSPCs on neurological deficits in rodent animal models of PD. Data on study quality score, behavioral outcomes (apomorphine or amphetamine-induced rotation and limb function), histological outcome (densitometry of TH+ staining in the SNpc), and cell therapy-related severe adverse events were extracted for meta-analysis and systematic review. Read More

J Neurophysiol 2022 May 23;127(5):1209-1220. Epub 2022 Mar 23.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.

The motor hyperdirect pathway (HDP) is considered a key target in the treatment of Parkinson's disease with subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS). This hypothesis is partially derived from the association of HDP activation with evoked potentials (EPs) generated in the motor cortex and subthalamic nucleus (STN) after a DBS pulse. However, the biophysical details of how and when DBS-induced action potentials (APs) in HDP neurons reach their terminations in the cortex or STN remain unclear. Read More

AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2021 21;2021:651-659. Epub 2022 Feb 21.

Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.

Deep brain stimulation is a complex movement disorder intervention that requires highly invasive brain surgery. Clinicians struggle to predict how patients will respond to this treatment. To address this problem, we are working toward developing a clinical tool to help neurologists predict deep brain stimulation response. Read More

Neurobiol Dis 2022 06 16;168:105692. Epub 2022 Mar 16.

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Daegu, Republic of Korea; Brain Engineering Convergence Research Center, DGIST, Daegu, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Electrophysiological biomarkers reflecting the pathological activities in the basal ganglia are essential to gain an etiological understanding of Parkinson's disease (PD) and develop a method of diagnosing and treating the disease. Previous studies that explored electrophysiological biomarkers in PD have focused mainly on oscillatory or periodic activities such as beta and gamma oscillations. Emerging evidence has suggested that the nonoscillatory, aperiodic component reflects the firing rate and synaptic current changes corresponding to cognitive and pathological states. Read More

BMC Nephrol 2022 03 17;23(1):108. Epub 2022 Mar 17.

Division of Neurology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Background: After kidney transplantation neurologic manifestations may develop, including Parkinson's disease (PD). An enlarged substantia nigra (SN) by transcranial sonography has been recognized as a marker of PD.

Methods: In renal transplant recipients (RTRs = 95) and controls (n = 20), measurement of mesencephalon, SN, third ventricle, spleen and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and middle cerebral artery (MCA), kidney and spleen arteries Doppler resistive index (RI) were performed. Read More

Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2022 Mar 9;96:109-118. Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Department of Neuroscience "Rita Levi Montalcini", University of Turin, Via Cherasco 15, 10126, Torino, Italy; Neurology 2 Unit, A.O.U, Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Corso Bramante 88, 10126, Torino, Italy.

Background: Atypical Parkinsonisms (APs) -including progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)- are neurodegenerative diseases lacking satisfying symptomatic therapies. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is an established neurosurgical option for advanced Parkinson disease (PD). Although DBS effectiveness in PD fed expectations for the treatment of APs, DBS is still not recommended for APs on the basis of expert consensus and lack of clinical trials. Read More

Biomark Med 2022 May 11;16(7):499-509. Epub 2022 Mar 11.

Department of Neurology, Honorhealth, Phoenix, AZ 85251, USA.

Finding an easily accessible and reliable tool to diagnose the diseases collectively defined as 'synucleinopathies' is an urgent, unmet priority. The synucleinopathies include Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy, pure autonomic failure and dementia with Lewy bodies. There are millions of people who have a diagnosis of a synucleinopathy, with more diagnosed every year. Read More

J Neural Eng 2022 03 28;19(2). Epub 2022 Mar 28.

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America.

. Choosing the optimal electrode trajectory, stimulation location, and stimulation amplitude in subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) for Parkinson's disease remains a time-consuming empirical effort. In this retrospective study, we derive a data-driven electrophysiological biomarker that predicts clinical DBS location and parameters, and we consolidate this information into a quantitative score that may facilitate an objective approach to STN DBS surgery and programming. Read More

BMC Musculoskelet Disord 2022 Mar 9;23(1):230. Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Department of Orthopedics, Bao Di Clinical College of Tianjin Medical University, Bao Di Hospital, 8 Guangchuan Road, Baodi District, Tianjin, 301800, Tianjin, China.

Background: The number of Parkinson's patients (PD) undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is increasing. The purpose of the study was to characterize quality of life (QOL) outcomes for patients with coexisting PD and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) following TKA.

Methods: Patients with coexisting PD and KOA undergoing TKA between June 2014 and June 2020 were included. Read More

Neurol India 2022 Jan-Feb;70(1):457-458

Department of Neurosurgery, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary.

J Neurol Sci 2022 04 19;435:120193. Epub 2022 Feb 19.

Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.

There has been a long history of lesioning procedures to treat tremor associated with both essential tremor (ET) and Parkinson's disease (PD). These include radiofrequency (RF) thalamotomy, gamma knife radiosurgical (GKRS) thalamotomy, and magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound (MRgFUS). In this review, we summarize the clinical studies of lesioning procedures for tremor focusing on these ablative therapies for ET and tremor-predominant PD (TDPD). Read More

J Cardiothorac Surg 2022 Mar 7;17(1):30. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Arrhythmias Unit, Department of Cardiology, Grenoble University Hospital, CS 10217, 38043, Grenoble Cedex 09, France.

Background: Radiofrequency catheter ablation is considered to be a relatively safe procedure. This is an unusual case report in which severe mitral regurgitation was occurred after left lateral accessory pathway radiofrequency catheter ablation.

Case Presentation: A 15-year-old man without structural heart disease was referred for ablation of a left lateral accessory pathway. Read More

Front Neurol 2022 18;13:716046. Epub 2022 Feb 18.

Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

Coordinated reset deep brain stimulation (CR DBS) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) has been demonstrated effective for the treatment of the motor signs associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). A critical CR parameter is an order in which stimulation is delivered across contacts. The relative effect of alternating vs. Read More

Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2022 Mar 29;96:88-90. Epub 2022 Jan 29.

Department of Neurology, Norway; Department of Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.

A patient with Parkinson's disease (PD) who was examined as a candidate for DBS was initially rejected due to extensive brain calcifications. Upon second opinion and planning of trajectories she underwent successful surgery. Genetic analyses identified a mutation in SLC20A2, a gene known to cause brain calcifications, but no mutation known to cause PD was found. Read More

Prog Brain Res 2022 11;269(1):435-455. Epub 2022 Feb 11.

Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, United States. Electronic address:

Neuromodulation is a widely used treatment for motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). It can be a highly effective treatment as a result of knowledge of circuit dysfunction associated with motor symptoms in PD. However, the mechanisms underlying cognitive symptoms of PD are less well-known, and the effects of neuromodulation on these symptoms are less consistent. Read More

PLoS Comput Biol 2022 03 4;18(3):e1009887. Epub 2022 Mar 4.

Medical Research Council Brain Network Dynamics Unit, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.

Synchronization of neural oscillations is thought to facilitate communication in the brain. Neurodegenerative pathologies such as Parkinson's disease (PD) can result in synaptic reorganization of the motor circuit, leading to altered neuronal dynamics and impaired neural communication. Treatments for PD aim to restore network function via pharmacological means such as dopamine replacement, or by suppressing pathological oscillations with deep brain stimulation. Read More