LINEAR ASSESSMENT OF CEREBRAL AUTOREGULATION IN IDIOPATHIC PARKINSON'S DISEASE

<p class="lead">Parkinson’s disease cases have been on the rise in the recent years, which promoted several different researches into the disorder. However, there hasn’t much research been done in the non-motor aspects of the disease. This study aims to improve the understanding of one of the non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, this research aims to further understand cerebral autoregulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In order to achieve this aim, 25 subjects were recruited, with 11 healthy controls and 14 patients with Parkinson’s disease. The continuous blood pressure and continuous cerebral blood flow velocity of all subjects were recorded and processed while the subjects were at rest, tilt-up, and during hyperventilation. Linear signal and system analysis techniques were applied such as the power spectral density analysis and cross-correlation function analysis. Results showed that patients with Parkinson’s disease did not show a significant difference from the control group while at rest and after tilt-up. However, there was a significant difference between the groups during hyperventilation. The results obtained in this study suggested that the metabolic regulatory pathway for cerebral autoregulation is impaired in patients with Parkinson’s disease.</p>

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Donepezil for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84243-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Kyoungwon Baik ◽

Seon Myeong Kim ◽

Jin Ho Jung ◽

Yang Hyun Lee ◽

Seok Jong Chung ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mild Cognitive Impairment ◽

Treatment Group ◽

Outcome Measures ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Control Group ◽

Significant Difference

AbstractWe investigated the efficacy of donepezil for mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease (PD-MCI). This was a prospective, non-randomized, open-label, two-arm study. Eighty PD-MCI patients were assigned to either a treatment or control group. The treatment group received donepezil for 48 weeks. The primary outcome measures were the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Exam and Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores. Secondary outcome measures were the Clinical Dementia Rating, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III, Clinical Global Impression scores. Progression of dementia was assessed at 48-week. Comprehensive neuropsychological tests and electroencephalography (EEG) were performed at baseline and after 48 weeks. The spectral power ratio of the theta to beta2 band (TB2R) in the electroencephalogram was analyzed. There was no significant difference in the primary and secondary outcome measures between the two groups. However, the treatment group showed a significant decrease in TB2R at bilateral frontotemporoparietal channels compared to the control group. Although we could not demonstrate improvements in the cognitive functions, donepezil treatment had a modulatory effect on the EEG in PD-MCI patients. EEG might be a sensitive biomarker for detecting changes in PD-MCI after donepezil treatment.

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Cerebrospinal fluid levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian syndromes

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

10.1159/000520302 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michaela Kaiserova ◽

Monika Chudackova ◽

Hana Prikrylova Vranova ◽

Katerina Mensikova ◽

Anetta Kastelikova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Cerebrospinal Fluid ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Corticobasal Degeneration ◽

Control Group ◽

Csf Biomarkers ◽

Parkinsonian Syndromes ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid

Background: Various cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are studied in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian syndromes (APS). Several studies found reduced 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the main serotonin metabolite, in PD. There is little evidence regarding its levels in APS. Methods: We measured 5-HIAA in the CSF of 90 PD patients, 16 MSA patients, 26 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) patients, 11 corticobasal degeneration (CBD) patients, and 31 controls. We also compared the values in depressed and non-depressed patients. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in CSF 5-HIAA in PD and MSA compared to the control group (median in PD 15.8 µg/l, in MSA 13.6 µg/l vs. 24.3 µg/l in controls; P=0.0008 in PD, P=0.006 in MSA). There was no statistically significant difference in CSF 5-HIAA in PSP and CBD compared to the control group (median in PSP 22.7 µg/l, in CBD 18.7 µg/l vs. 24.3 µg/l in controls; P= 1 in both PSP and CBD). CSF 5-HIAA levels were lower in PD patients with depression compared to PD patients without depression (median 8.34 vs. 18.48, P<0.0001). Conclusions: CSF 5-HIAA is decreased in PD and MSA. The CSF 5-HIAA levels in PSP and CBS did not differ from those of the control group. There was a tendency toward lower CSF 5-HIAA in MSA than in PD, however, the results did not reach statistical significance. These results may be explained by more severe damage of the serotonergic system in synucleinopathies (PD, MSA) than in tauopathies (PSP, CBS).

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miR-185 and SEPT5 Genes May Contribute to Parkinson’s Disease Pathophysiology

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2019/5019815 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 2019 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Arman Rahimmi ◽

Ilaria Peluso ◽

Aref Rajabi ◽

Kambiz Hassanzadeh

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Substantia Nigra ◽

Chromosomal Location ◽

Gene Expression Pattern ◽

Control Group ◽

Significant Difference

There are still unknown mechanisms involved in the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which elucidating them can assist in developing efficient therapies. Recently, studies showed that genes located on the human chromosomal location 22q11.2 might be involved in the development of PD. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the role of two genes located on the chromosomal location (miR-185 and SEPT5), which were the most probable candidates based on our bibliography. In vivo and in vitro models of PD were developed using male Wistar rats and SHSY-5Y cell line, respectively. The expression levels of miR-185, SEPT5, LRRK2, and PARK2 genes were measured at a mRNA level in dopaminergic areas of rats’ brains and SHSY-5Y cells using the SYBR Green Real-Time PCR Method. Additionally, the effect of inhibition on the genes or their products on cell viability and gene expression pattern in SHSY-5Y cells was investigated. The level of miR-185 gene expression was significantly decreased in the substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST) of the rotenone-treated group (control group) compared to the healthy normal group (P<0.05). In addition, there was a significant difference in the expression of SEPT5 gene (P<0.05) in the substantia nigra between two studied groups. The results of an in vitro study showed no significant change in the expression of the genes; however, the inhibition on miR-185 gene expression led to the increase in LRRK2 gene expression in SHSY-5Y cells. The inhibition on LRRK2 protein also decreased the cellular toxicity effect of rotenone on SHSY-5Y cells. The results suggested the protective role of miR-185 gene in preventing the development of PD.

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The effect of laughter yoga exercises on anxiety and sleep quality in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease

Biomedical Research and Therapy ◽

10.15419/bmrat.v4i07.200 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4 (07) ◽

pp. 1463 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Azadeh Memarian ◽

Afsaneh Sanatkaran ◽

Seyyed Mohialdin Bahari

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Nonparametric Test ◽

Complementary Therapy ◽

Control Group ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Improve Sleep Quality

Background: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of laughter yoga exercises on anxiety and sleep quality in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Methods: In the study a semi-empirical and applied research design was used, which involved a pre-test and post-test, and appropriate control group. The study consisted of 24 patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease who were referred and admitted to Hazarate Raoul Allah Hospital in Tehran, Iran. The patients ranged in age from 55 to 75 and met the study criteria prior to entering the research study. The patients were randomly divided into two groups – control or experimental (n=12 per group). After completing exercises (laughter yoga), post-evaluation of anxiety and sleep quality of patients in both groups were conducted using questionnaires. For normalization of research data, the Mann-Whitney nonparametric test was used. Statistical analyses were conducted using the SPSS software, with the statistically significant level set at P<0.05. Results: The Mann-Whitney tests indicated that there was a significant difference between the average stress change as well as sleep quality in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease (versus control subjects) following laughter yoga exercises. Indeed, regarding sleep quality laughter yoga was only effective on the subjective quality of sleep and latency in sleeping. There was no observation of a significant effect on the duration of sleep, sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping pills, or daily functions of the patients. Conclusion: The results of the present study demonstrate that laughter yoga exercises can reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. As a result, laughter yoga exercises may be beneficial as a complementary therapy with standard treatment methods to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality in patients with Parkinson's.

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Orofacial Functions and Chewing Effiency in Elderly Patients with Parkinson’s Disease Rehabilitated with Removable Prostheses

The Open Dentistry Journal ◽

10.2174/1874210602014010013 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 13-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Corsalini Massimo ◽

Rapone Biagio ◽

Cagnetta Giovanni ◽

Carossa Massimo ◽

Sportelli Pasquale ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Age Of Onset ◽

The Elderly ◽

Control Group ◽

Study Group ◽

Dental Prostheses ◽

Masticatory Efficiency ◽

Masticatory Ability ◽

Significant Difference

Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. It is one of the movement disorders that can affect oro-facial conditions. It is more common in the elderly, having an average age of onset of around 60 years. Objective: The aim was to study orofacial functions in patients suffering from PD with partial or total edentulism, wearing removable prostheses. Methods: Forty-eight (48) elders, rehabilitated with removable dentures, were included: 24 patients suffering from Parkinson's disease constitute the Study Group (SG), and 24 subjects not suffering from Parkinson's disease or neurological degenerative diseases represent the Control Group (CG). In SG, the severity of Parkinson's disease was assessed according to the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating objective motor scale III, and oro-facial dysfunctions were evaluated using Nordic Orofacial Test-Screening (NOT-S). The duration of the use of dental prostheses expressed in years has been reported. In both the groups, the subjective chewing index for the analysis of masticatory ability and the two-color chewing gum test for the analysis of masticatory efficiency were conducted . Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the SG and CG compared to the NOT-S (P = 0.001). Analyzing the study group, a statistically significant correlation was found between the masticatory efficiency and prosthetic years of use (rs = 0.436; P <0.05); instead, no statistically significant correlation was found between the masticatory efficiency and the severity of Parkinson's disease. Conclusion: In our study, we did not find differences between SG and CG in terms of the degree of masticatory efficiency; therefore, only a correlation between the duration of use of dental prostheses and the degree of masticatory efficiency was found.

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The behavior of migraine in patients with Parkinson's disease

Neurology International ◽

10.4081/ni.2015.6133 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Celmir De Oliveira Vilaça ◽

Marco Antonio Araujo Leite ◽

Jano Alves De Souza ◽

Marco Orsini ◽

João Santos Pereira ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Nervous System ◽

Control Group ◽

Dopaminergic Systems ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

Dopaminergic Pathways ◽

Over 40 Years

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic systems in the central nervous system. In migraine it is supposed to occur hyperactivation of central dopaminergic pathways. We verified the hypothesis of improved migraine in patients who manifest PD. We evaluated 109 patients with PD over 40 years (57 men and 52 women) about the presence throughout the life of migraine, as well as the possibility of improvement in migraine after the onset of motor symptoms of PD. This group was compared to a control group of 152 people (41 men and 152 women) without PD regarding the presence of migraine and its improvement. Twenty-one patients manifested migraine in the group with PD (16 women and 5 men) in which 13 reported improvement in migraine after the onset of symptoms of PD. Among the controls, 37 interviewed had migraine history (32 women and 5 men) among which 20 showed improvement. There was no significant difference when comparing the two groups (χ21:0,05=0.337; P<0.382). We were unable to relate the improvement of migraine with the emergence of PD motor signs, despite the degeneration of dopaminergic pathways of the central nervous system.

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Motor Symptom Lateralization Influences Cortico-Striatal Functional Connectivity in Parkinson's Disease

Frontiers in Neurology ◽

10.3389/fneur.2021.619631 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Wen Su ◽

Kai Li ◽

Chun-Mei Li ◽

Xin-Xin Ma ◽

Hong Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Orbitofrontal Cortex ◽

Resting State ◽

Right Hemisphere ◽

Motor Symptom ◽

Control Group ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Right

Objective: The striatum is unevenly impaired bilaterally in Parkinson's disease (PD). Because the striatum plays a key role in cortico-striatal circuits, we assume that lateralization affects cortico-striatal functional connectivity in PD. The present study sought to evaluate the effect of lateralization on various cortico-striatal circuits through resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).Methods: Thirty left-onset Parkinson's disease (LPD) patients, 27 right-onset Parkinson's disease (RPD) patients, and 32 normal controls with satisfactory data were recruited. Their demographic, clinical, and neuropsychological information was collected. Resting-state fMRI was performed, and functional connectivity changes of seven subdivisions of the striatum were explored in the two PD groups. In addition, the associations between altered functional connectivity and various clinical and neuropsychological characteristics were analyzed by Pearson's or Spearman's correlation.Results: Directly comparing the LPD and RPD patients demonstrated that the LPD patients had lower FC between the left dorsal rostral putamen and the left orbitofrontal cortex than the RPD patients. In addition, the LPD patients showed aberrant functional connectivity involving several striatal subdivisions in the right hemisphere. The right dorsal caudate, ventral rostral putamen, and superior ventral striatum had decreased functional connectivity with the cerebellum and parietal and occipital lobes relative to the normal control group. The comparison between RPD patients and the controls did not obtain significant difference in functional connectivity. The functional connectivity between the left dorsal rostral putamen and the left orbitofrontal cortex was associated with contralateral motor symptom severity in PD patients.Conclusions: Our findings provide new insights into the distinct characteristics of cortico-striatal circuits in LPD and RPD patients. Lateralization of motor symptoms is associated with lateralized striatal functional connectivity.

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Residual signal auto-correlation to evaluate speech in Parkinson’s disease patients

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria ◽

10.1590/s0004-282x2006000600004 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 912-915 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

José Carlos Pereira ◽

Arthur Oscar Schelp ◽

Arlindo Neto Montagnoli ◽

Ana Rita Gatto ◽

André Augusto Spadotto ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Statistical Difference ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Individuals ◽

Age And Gender ◽

Residual Signal ◽

Auto Correlation ◽

Significant Difference ◽

And Gender

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the maximum residual signal auto-correlation also known as pitch amplitude (PA) values in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. METHOD: The signals of 21 Parkinson’s patients were compared with 15 healthy individuals, divided according age and gender. RESULTS: Statistical difference was seen between groups for PA, 0.39 for controls and 0.25 for PD. Normal value threshold was set as 0.3; (p<0.001). In the Parkinson’s group 80.77%, and in the control group only 12.28%, had a PA<0.3 demonstrating an association between these variables. The dispersion diagram for age and PA for PD individuals showed p=0.01 and r=0.54. There was no significant difference in relation to gender and PA between groups. CONCLUSION: The significant differences in pitch’s amplitude between PD patients and healthy individuals demonstrate the methods specificity. The results showed the need of prospective controlled studies to improve the use and indications of residual signal auto-correlation to evaluate speech in PD patients.

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Blood Neurofilament Light Chain in Parkinson’s Disease: Comparability between Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) and Asian Cohorts

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10215085 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (21) ◽

pp. 5085

Author(s):

Jia-Hung Chen ◽

Lung Chan ◽

Chen-Chih Chung ◽

Oluwaseun Adebayo Bamodu ◽

Chien-Tai Hong

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Light Chain ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Control Group ◽

Apparent Difference ◽

Neurofilament Light Chain ◽

Neurofilament Light ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Progression Markers

Elevated blood neurofilament light chain (NfL), which indicates the loss of neuronal integrity, is increasingly implicated as a diagnostic and outcome-predicting biomarker for neurological diseases. However, its diagnostic implication for Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unclear, with conflicting data reported by several studies. This may result from the demographic heterogeneity of the studied cohorts. The present study investigated the comparability of blood NfL between a domestic, single-centered PD cohort from Shuang Ho Hospital (SHH) in Taiwan, with the large international, multi-center cohort, Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). In the SHH PD cohort, with 61 people with PD (PwP) and 25 healthy non-PD controls, plasma NfL unexpectedly was significantly higher in the control group than PwP (14.42 ± 13.84 vs. 9.39 ± 6.91 pg/mL, p = 0.05). Interestingly, subgroup analysis revealed a non-significant difference of plasma NfL levels in male PwP compared with controls (8.58 ± 6.21 vs. 7.25 ± 4.43 pg/mL, p =0.575), whereas NfL levels were significantly lower in the female PwP group than in their healthy control peers (10.29 ± 7.62 vs. 17.79 ± 15.52 pg/mL, p = 0.033). Comparative analysis of the SHH and PPMI cohorts revealed a comparable gender-stratified distribution of blood NfL based on approximate theoretical quantiles. After adjusting for age and gender, no apparent difference in NfL value distribution was observed between the SHH and PPMI cohorts’ control or PD groups. Significant downregulation of blood NfL levels were positively correlated with a reduced probability of having a PD diagnosis in both cohorts. These results demonstrated that the adjustment for demographic background enhances comparability between cohorts, and may be required to eliminate covariate/confounder-associated conflict in blood NfL results between different PD studies. This experience may be beneficial to other researchers around the world who are saddled with limited study participants, especially as data from small cohort sizes are often at greater risk of being skewed by specific variables.

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THE IMPACT OF BRAZILIAN SAMBA ON PARKINSON’S DISEASE: ANALYSIS BY THE DISEASE SUBTYPES

Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte ◽

10.1590/1517-869220202601220640 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 25-29

Author(s):

Ana Cristina Tillmann ◽

Alessandra Swarowsky ◽

Alexandro Andrade ◽

Jéssica Moratelli ◽

Leonessa Boing ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Control Group ◽

Positive Trend ◽

Motor Symptoms ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Disease Subtypes ◽

The Impact ◽

Non Motor Symptoms

ABSTRACT Introduction: People with Parkinson's disease constantly have low levels of physical activity. Dancing has become increasingly important for treating the disease and can help improve non-motor symptoms. Objective: To analyze the influence of Brazilian samba on the non-motor symptoms of PD according to TD and PGID subtypes. Methods: A 12-week, non-randomized clinical trial, through comparison with a control group. The 23 individuals who agreed to participate in the activities formed the experimental group (EG) and the 24 individuals who opted not to participate in the Brazilian samba classes comprised the control group (CG). A questionnaire was applied, composed of validated instruments. Mini Mental State Examination – MMSE; HY – Disability Scale; Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale – UPDRS 1 and total values; Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire – PDQ-39, Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale – PDSS; Beck Depression Inventory – BDI; Fatigue Severity Scale – FSS and Magnitude of Perceived Changes. Results: After the twelve weeks of intervention, it was observed that the EG showed improvement in the scores of all the tests. The comparison between groups, however, indicated a significant difference in the post-UPDRS1 period in which the EG presented improvement in cognitive impairment, while the CG presented a deficit in these values. The results of the division between disease subtypes show a greater change in the values between individuals of the TD group, when comparing the EG with the CG. For the EG, the greatest difference between pre- and post- intervention was fatigue. Conclusion: There was a positive trend in all the variables studied after the application of the protocol. This demonstrates that interventions such as dance may have greater effects on non-motor symptoms, depending on the expected progression of the disease. The scarcity of studies that use this approach in their analyses may explain the lack of evidence in this symptomatology related to dance. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies – Investigating the results of treatment.

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