Levels of oligomeric α-Synuclein in reflex tears distinguish Parkinson's disease patients from healthy controls

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 1447-1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F Hamm-Alvarez ◽  
Srikanth R Janga ◽  
Maria C Edman ◽  
Danielle Feigenbaum ◽  
Daniel Freire ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Nerve Fibers ◽  
Afferent Nerve ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Active Engagement ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Afferent Nerve Fibers ◽  
Tear Flow ◽  
Age And Sex

Aim: Due to active engagement of sensory and afferent nerve fibers in reflex tearing which could be affected in Parkinson's disease (PD), we tested reflex tears as a source of potential PD biomarkers. Patients & methods: Reflex tears collected from 84 PD and 84 age- and sex-equivalent healthy controls (HC) were used to measure levels of oligomeric α-Syn (α-SynOligo), total α-Syn (α-SynTotal), CCL2, DJ-1, lactoferrin and MMP9. Results: α-synOligo (p < 0.0001), CCL2 (p = 0.003) and lactoferrin (p = 0.002) were significantly elevated in PD patient tears relative to HC tears. Tear flow was significantly lower in PD relative to HC (p = 0.001). Conclusion: Reflex tears are a potential source for detection of characteristic changes in PD patients.

Autonomic Failure, Depression and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease

1995 ◽  
Vol 166 (6) ◽  
pp. 789-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Berrios ◽  
C. Campbell ◽  
B. E. Politynska
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Autonomic Failure ◽  
Antidepressant Medication ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Autonomic Tests ◽  
Autonomic Reflexes ◽  
Age And Sex

BackgroundThe study tested the hypothesis that subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) have more autonomic complaints and more attenuation of autonomic reflexes than controls, and that both clusters of variables are related to the presence of anxiety and depression.MethodThirty-two subjects and 32 healthy controls matched by age and sex were prospectively compared on psychiatric, cognitive and autonomic tests.Results‘Autonomic’ symptoms: were more frequent in PD patients than in healthy controls; were not related to age or changes in autonomic reflexes; were significantly associated with depression and anxiety (medication was not relevant to the association); and did not correlate with motor symptoms.ConclusionsThe diagnosis of anxiety and depression in some PD subjects is likely to be a behavioural phenocopy caused by autonomic failure. This explains why antidepressant medication is often unhelpful in PD subjects diagnosed as depressed.

scholarly journals Oligomeric α-synuclein is increased in basal tears of Parkinson’s patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 941-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F Hamm-Alvarez ◽  
Curtis T Okamoto ◽  
Srikanth R Janga ◽  
Danielle Feigenbaum ◽  
Maria C Edman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Nerve Function ◽  
Confidence Limits ◽  
Age And Sex ◽  
Receiver Operating

Aim: Secretion of proteins into basal tears of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients may be altered by changes in nerve function. Materials & methods: Oligomeric α-SynOligo and total α-SynTotal, CCL-2, DJ-1, LF and MMP-9 were measured in basal tears from 93 PD patients and 82 age- and sex-equivalent healthy controls. Results: α-SynTotal was decreased (p = 0.0043), whereas α-SynOligo (p < 0.0001) and the ratio of α-SynOligo/α-SynTotal (p < 0.0001) were increased in basal tears from PD patients compared with healthy controls. Area under receiver-operating curves of α-SynOligo and α-SynOligo/α-SynTotal contents were 0.70 (95% confidence limits: 0.621–0.774) and 0.72 (95% confidence limits: 0.642–0.792). Conclusion: PD patient basal tears may contain biomarkers that can be assayed noninvasively and inexpensively.

scholarly journals Global efficiency of the motor network is decreased in Parkinson's disease in comparison with essential tremor and healthy controls

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Pelizari Novaes ◽  
Joana Bisol Balardin ◽  
Fabiana Campos Hirata ◽  
Luciano Melo ◽  
Edson Amaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Essential Tremor ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Global Efficiency ◽  
Motor Network

Vestibular semicircular canal function as detected by video Head Impulse Test (vHIT) is essentially unchanged in people with Parkinson’s disease compared to healthy controls

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kim E. Hawkins ◽  
Elodie Chiarovano ◽  
Serene S. Paul ◽  
Ann M Burgess ◽  
Hamish G. MacDougall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Semicircular Canal ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Vestibular Function ◽  
Head Impulse Test ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Video Head Impulse Test ◽  
Head Impulse ◽  
Vestibulo Ocular Reflex

BACKGROUND: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a common multi-system neurodegenerative disorder with possible vestibular system dysfunction, but prior vestibular function test findings are equivocal. OBJECTIVE: To report and compare vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) gain as measured by the video head impulse test (vHIT) in participants with PD, including tremor dominant and postural instability/gait dysfunction phenotypes, with healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Forty participants with PD and 40 age- and gender-matched HC had their vestibular function assessed. Lateral and vertical semicircular canal VOR gains were measured with vHIT. VOR canal gains between PD participants and HC were compared with independent samples t-tests. Two distinct PD phenotypes were compared to HC using Tukey’s ANOVA. The relationship of VOR gain with PD duration, phenotype, severity and age were investigated using logistic regression. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups in vHIT VOR gain for lateral or vertical canals. There was no evidence of an effect of PD severity, phenotype or age on VOR gains in the PD group. CONCLUSION: The impulsive angular VOR pathways are not significantly affected by the pathophysiological changes associated with mild to moderate PD.

scholarly journals Oral Factors That Impact the Oral Microbiota in Parkinson’s Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1616
Author(s):  
Natalia S. Rozas ◽  
Gena D. Tribble ◽  
Cameron B. Jeter
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Oral Hygiene ◽  
Beta Diversity ◽  
Oral Microbiota ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Salivary Ph

Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are at increased risk of aspiration pneumonia, their primary cause of death. Their oral microbiota differs from healthy controls, exacerbating this risk. Our goal was to explore if poor oral health, poor oral hygiene, and dysphagia status affect the oral microbiota composition of these patients. In this cross-sectional case-control study, the oral microbiota from hard and soft tissues of patients with PD (n = 30) and age-, gender-, and education-matched healthy controls (n = 30) was compared using 16S rRNA gene sequencing for bacterial identification. Study participants completed dietary, oral hygiene, drooling, and dysphagia questionnaires, and an oral health screening. Significant differences in soft tissue beta-diversity (p < 0.005) were found, and a higher abundance of opportunistic oral pathogens was detected in patients with PD. Factors that significantly influenced soft tissue beta-diversity and microbiota composition include dysphagia, drooling (both p < 0.05), and salivary pH (p < 0.005). Thus, patients with PD show significant differences in their oral microbiota compared to the controls, which may be due, in part, to dysphagia, drooling, and salivary pH. Understanding factors that alter their oral microbiota could lead to the development of diagnostic and treatment strategies that improve the quality of life and survivability of these patients.

Development of standardized regression-based formulas to assess meaningful cognitive change in early Parkinson’s disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah L Combs ◽  
Kate A Wyman-Chick ◽  
Lauren O Erickson ◽  
Michele K York
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Cognitive Test ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objective Longitudinal assessment of cognitive and emotional functioning in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is helpful in tracking progression of the disease, developing treatment plans, evaluating outcomes, and educating patients and families. Determining whether change over time is meaningful in neurodegenerative conditions, such as PD, can be difficult as repeat assessment of neuropsychological functioning is impacted by factors outside of cognitive change. Regression-based prediction formulas are one method by which clinicians and researchers can determine whether an observed change is meaningful. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate regression-based prediction models of cognitive and emotional test scores for participants with early-stage idiopathic PD and healthy controls (HC) enrolled in the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). Methods Participants with de novo PD and HC were identified retrospectively from the PPMI archival database. Data from baseline testing and 12-month follow-up were utilized in this study. In total, 688 total participants were included in the present study (NPD = 508; NHC = 185). Subjects from both groups were randomly divided into development (70%) and validation (30%) subsets. Results Early-stage idiopathic PD patients and healthy controls were similar at baseline. Regression-based models were developed for all cognitive and self-report mood measures within both populations. Within the validation subset, the predicted and observed cognitive test scores did not significantly differ, except for semantic fluency. Conclusions The prediction models can serve as useful tools for researchers and clinicians to study clinically meaningful cognitive and mood change over time in PD.

scholarly journals Prefrontal and hippocampal atrophy using 7-tesla magnetic resonance imaging in patients with Parkinson’s disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 205846012098809
Author(s):  
Byeong H Oh ◽  
Hyeong C Moon ◽  
Aryun Kim ◽  
Hyeon J Kim ◽  
Chae J Cheong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
7 Tesla ◽  
Cortical Atrophy ◽  
Automated Segmentation ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Segmentation Method ◽  
Resonance Imaging

Background The pathology of Parkinson’s disease leads to morphological changes in brain structure. Currently, the progressive changes in gray matter volume that occur with time and are specific to patients with Parkinson’s disease, compared to healthy controls, remain unclear. High-tesla magnetic resonance imaging might be useful in differentiating neurological disorders by brain cortical changes. Purpose We aimed to investigate patterns in gray matter changes in patients with Parkinson’s disease by using an automated segmentation method with 7-tesla magnetic resonance imaging. Material and Methods High-resolution T1-weighted 7 tesla magnetic resonance imaging volumes of 24 hemispheres were acquired from 12 Parkinson’s disease patients and 12 age- and sex-matched healthy controls with median ages of 64.5 (range, 41–82) years and 60.5 (range, 25–74) years, respectively. Subgroup analysis was performed according to whether axial motor symptoms were present in the Parkinson’s disease patients. Cortical volume, cortical thickness, and subcortical volume were measured using a high-resolution image processing technique based on the Desikan-Killiany-Tourville atlas and an automated segmentation method (FreeSurfer version 6.0). Results After cortical reconstruction, in 7 tesla magnetic resonance imaging volume segmental analysis, compared with the healthy controls, the Parkinson’s disease patients showed global cortical atrophy, mostly in the prefrontal area (rostral middle frontal, superior frontal, inferior parietal lobule, medial orbitofrontal, rostral anterior cingulate area), and subcortical volume atrophy in limbic/paralimbic areas (fusiform, hippocampus, amygdala). Conclusion We first demonstrated that 7 tesla magnetic resonance imaging detects structural abnormalities in Parkinson’s disease patients compared to healthy controls using an automated segmentation method. Compared with the healthy controls, the Parkinson’s disease patients showed global prefrontal cortical atrophy and hippocampal area atrophy.

scholarly journals A Comparison of Pain between Parkinson’s Disease and Multiple System Atrophy: A Clinical Cross-Sectional Survey

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
He-Yang You ◽  
Lei Wu ◽  
Hai-Ting Yang ◽  
Chen Yang ◽  
Xiao-Ling Ding
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Multiple System Atrophy ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Disease Rating ◽  
Vas Scores

Background. Pain is frequent in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Parkinson-plus syndrome. This study aimed to assess the prevalence, characteristics, therapy (especially the effect of dopaminergic therapy), and associated symptoms of pain in Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy (MSA) patients. Methods. Seventy-one PD patients, sixty-five MSA patients, and forty age-matched healthy controls were enrolled and evaluated by using the German pain questionnaire and visual analogue scale (VAS). In addition, the influence of pain in PD patients on anxiety, depression, and the quality of life was assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39). Results. Compared to that of the healthy controls, the PD and MSA patients had a significantly higher presence of pain (P<0.01, P<0.01). PD patients had a higher presence of pain than MSA patients (P=0.007). No difference in VAS scores was observed between the PD and MSA patients (P=0.148). A total of 21 PD patients (42.85%) with pain and 13 MSA patients (43.33%) with pain received treatment. A total of 13 PD patients with pain and 6 MSA patients with pain had an improved pain intensity after using dopaminergic medication. The differences in the disease duration, Hoehn and Yahr stages, and scores on the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor score, HAD-D, HAD-A, and PDQ-39 were significant between the PD patients with and without pain. Conclusion. PD and MSA patients are prone to pain with insufficient treatment. Pain interventions should be provided as soon as possible to improve the patient’s life.

Parkinson's disease and convergence insufficiency: a mini-review

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 108-111
Author(s):  
Mashael Al-Namaeh
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Medline Search ◽  
Convergence Insufficiency ◽  
Eye Examination ◽  
The Relationship

Background: A key manifestation of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is visual impairment. Cognitive impairment has been found to overlap with convergence insufficiency (CI) in patients with PD and is associated with significantly greater near point convergence (NPC) distance. Difficulty in reading and diplopia were the most common symptoms of CI in PD. The prevalence of CI is greater among patients with PD. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the relationship between PD and CI. Methods: Studies that had included data on CI, NPC, or both were selected by searching PubMed/MEDLINE and clinicaltrails.gov, without any timeline or language limitation. The following terms were used in PubMed/MEDLINE search: ‘Clinical Trials’, ‘Parkinson’s Disease’, and ‘Convergence Insufficiency’. For clinical trials.gov database, the terms ‘Parkinson’s Disease’, ‘Convergence Insufficiency’, and ‘Completed Studies’ were used. Only those studies with control subjects were included. PubMed/MEDLINE search yielded 1,563 articles, but no article was found in the clinical trails.gov search. Twelve articles met the inclusion criteria, among which nine articles were selected as they had data on CI or NPC distance (cm), and PD.   Results: Overall, there were 1,563 articles; among them, 12 articles met the inclusion criteria. Nine articles were selected based on their data concerning CI or NPC distance (cm) and PD. Relative to the control group, the PD group had high CI. In addition, PD group showed increase in NPC distance than the control group. Conclusions: These data suggest that the patients with PD had an increased likelihood of developing CI visual symptoms, and increased NPC distance than healthy controls. These findings indicate that regular eye examination is very important for patients with PD.

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