scholarly journals Wearable GPS and Accelerometer Technologies for Monitoring Mobility and Physical Activity in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Systematic Review

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (24) ◽  
pp. 8261
Author(s):  
Mícheál Ó Breasail ◽  
Bijetri Biswas ◽  
Matthew D. Smith ◽  
Md Khadimul A. Mazhar ◽  
Emma Tenison ◽  
...  

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDDs) constitute an increasing global burden and can significantly impair an individual’s mobility, physical activity (PA), and independence. Remote monitoring has been difficult without relying on diaries/questionnaires which are more challenging for people with dementia to complete. Wearable global positioning system (GPS) sensors and accelerometers present a cost-effective and noninvasive way to passively monitor mobility and PA. In addition, changes in sensor-derived outcomes (such as walking behaviour, sedentary, and active activity) may serve as potential biomarkers of disease onset, progression, and response to treatment. We performed a systematic search across four databases to identify papers published within the past 5 years, in which wearable GPS or accelerometers were used to monitor mobility or PA in patients with common NDDs (Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, motor neuron diseases/amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, vascular parkinsonism, and vascular dementia). Disease and technology-specific vocabulary were searched singly, and then in combination, identifying 4985 papers. Following deduplication, we screened 3115 papers and retained 28 studies following a full text review. One study used wearable GPS and accelerometers, while 27 studies used solely accelerometers in NDDs. GPS-derived measures had been validated against current gold standard measures in one Parkinson’s cohort, suggesting that the technology may be applicable to other NDDs. In contrast, accelerometers are widely utilised in NDDs and have been operationalised in well-designed clinical trials.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asako Otomo ◽  
Lei Pan ◽  
Shinji Hadano

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a heterogeneous group of incurable motor neuron diseases (MNDs) characterized by a selective loss of upper and lower motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Most cases of ALS are sporadic, while approximately 5–10% cases are familial. More than 16 causative genes for ALS/MNDs have been identified and their underlying pathogenesis, including oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction, neural inflammation, protein misfolding and accumulation, dysfunctional intracellular trafficking, abnormal RNA processing, and noncell-autonomous damage, has begun to emerge. It is currently believed that a complex interplay of multiple toxicity pathways is implicated in disease onset and progression. Among such mechanisms, ones that are associated with disturbances of protein homeostasis, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy, have recently been highlighted. Although it remains to be determined whether disease-associated protein aggregates have a toxic or protective role in the pathogenesis, the formation of them results from the imbalance between generation and degradation of misfolded proteins within neuronal cells. In this paper, we focus on the autophagy-lysosomal and endocytic degradation systems and implication of their dysfunction to the pathogenesis of ALS/MNDs. The autophagy-endolysosomal pathway could be a major target for the development of therapeutic agents for ALS/MNDs.


Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012829
Author(s):  
Angela Rosenbohm ◽  
Raphael Peter ◽  
Johannes Dorst ◽  
Jan Kassubek ◽  
Dietrich Rothenbacher ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives:Whether physical activity (PA) is a risk factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is controversial since data on life-long PA are rare. The main objective of this study is to provide insight in PA as a potential risk factor for ALS, reporting data on cumulative PA, leisure time PA and occupational PA. This study also aims at gathering evidence on the role of PA as a prognostic factor in disease course.Methods:Lifetime PA values collected by questionnaires addressing work and leisure time were quantified into metabolic equivalents (MET). A population-based case-control study embedded in the ALS Registry Swabia served to calculate odds ratio (OR) of ALS by PA in different time intervals and prognosis.Results:In ALS cases (393 cases, 791 age- and sex-matched controls), we observed reduced total PA at interview and up to 5 years before interview compared to controls. Total PA was not associated with ALS risk 5-55 years before interview. Heavy occupational work intensity was associated with increased ALS risk (OR=1.97, 95%-CI (1.34, 2.89)). Total PA levels were associated with survival in a nonlinear manner: inactive patients and highest activity levels (25 METh/week) revealed the worst survival time of 15.4/19.3 months, respectively. Best median survival with 29.8 months was seen at 10.5 METh/week after adjusting for other prognostic factors.Discussion:Lifetime combined PA sharply decreased several years before disease onset compared to controls. The risk of developing ALS was not associated with former total PA levels 5-55 years before interview in contrast to occupational PA, probably reflecting work associated exposures. We found a strong nonlinear association of current and pre-diagnostic PA level and survival in ALS cases with the best survival with moderate PA. PA intensity may be a disease modifying factor with an unfavourable outcome in sedentary and hyperactive behaviour.Classification of evidence:This study provides Class III evidence that physical activity was not associated with the development of ALS.


Author(s):  
Mariia G. Sokolova ◽  
Sergei V. Lobzin ◽  
Andrey A. Zuev ◽  
Vladimir G. Pustozerov ◽  
Nicolay Yu. Aleksandrov ◽  
...  

Differential diagnostics of multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) has many difficulties associated with a number of factors: rare nature of disease, polymorphic clinical forms and a phenotypic picture similar to peripheral motor neuron diseases. Such diseases also include rare nosological forms: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, hereditary myopathies and neuropathies; their general phenotypic picture has a form of progressive flaccid paralysis, age of the disease onset and the nature of its course. However, different pathogenesis of these diseases requires a differentiated approach to therapy. This article deals with differential diagnostics of multifocal motor neuropathy, gives examples of modern diagnostic criteria necessary for diagnosing multifocal motor neuropathy and analyzes a clinical case with an incorrect diagnosis of multifocal motor neuropathy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (13) ◽  
pp. 1142-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sreyashi Chandra ◽  
Md. Tanjim Alam ◽  
Jhilik Dey ◽  
Baby C. Pulikkaparambil Sasidharan ◽  
Upasana Ray ◽  
...  

Background: The central nervous system (CNS) known to regulate the physiological conditions of human body, also itself gets dynamically regulated by both the physiological as well as pathological conditions of the body. These conditions get changed quite often, and often involve changes introduced into the gut microbiota which, as studies are revealing, directly modulate the CNS via a crosstalk. This cross-talk between the gut microbiota and CNS, i.e., the gut-brain axis (GBA), plays a major role in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease (HD). Objective: We aim to discuss how gut microbiota, through GBA, regulate neurodegenerative disorders such as PD, AD, ALS, MS and HD. Methods: In this review, we have discussed the present understanding of the role played by the gut microbiota in neurodegenerative disorders and emphasized the probable therapeutic approaches being explored to treat them. Results: In the first part, we introduce the GBA and its relevance, followed by the changes occurring in the GBA during neurodegenerative disorders and then further discuss its role in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Finally, we discuss its applications in possible therapeutics of these diseases and the current research improvements being made to better investigate this interaction. Conclusion: We concluded that alterations in the intestinal microbiota modulate various activities that could potentially lead to CNS disorders through interactions via the GBA.


Author(s):  
Sreeharsha N. ◽  
Bargale Sushant Sukumar ◽  
Divyasree C. H.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder in which the body is unable to make proper utilisation of glucose, resulting in the condition of hyperglycaemia. Excess glucose in the blood ultimately results in high levels of glucose being present in the urine (glycosuria). This increase the urine output, which leads to dehydration and increase thirst. India has the largest diabetic population in the world. Changes in eating habits, increasing weight and decreased physical activity are major factors leading to increased incidence of Diabetes. Lifestyle plays an important role in the development of Diabetes. Yoga offers natural and effective remedies without toxic side-effects, and with benefits that extend far beyond the physical. This system of Yoga is a simple, natural programme involving five main principles: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet and positive thinking and meditation. It is a cost effective lifestyle intervention technique.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Estela Area-Gomez ◽  
D. Larrea ◽  
T. Yun ◽  
Y. Xu ◽  
J. Hupf ◽  
...  

AbstractMotor neuron disorders (MND) include a group of pathologies that affect upper and/or lower motor neurons. Among them, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by progressive muscle weakness, with fatal outcomes only in a few years after diagnosis. On the other hand, primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), a more benign form of MND that only affects upper motor neurons, results in life-long progressive motor dysfunction. Although the outcomes are quite different, ALS and PLS present with similar symptoms at disease onset, to the degree that both disorders could be considered part of a continuum. These similarities and the lack of reliable biomarkers often result in delays in accurate diagnosis and/or treatment. In the nervous system, lipids exert a wide variety of functions, including roles in cell structure, synaptic transmission, and multiple metabolic processes. Thus, the study of the absolute and relative concentrations of a subset of lipids in human pathology can shed light into these cellular processes and unravel alterations in one or more pathways. In here, we report the lipid composition of longitudinal plasma samples from ALS and PLS patients initially, and after 2 years following enrollment in a clinical study. Our analysis revealed common aspects of these pathologies suggesting that, from the lipidomics point of view, PLS and ALS behave as part of a continuum of motor neuron disorders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 160
Author(s):  
Mor R. Alkaslasi ◽  
Noell E. Cho ◽  
Navpreet K. Dhillon ◽  
Oksana Shelest ◽  
Patricia S. Haro-Lopez ◽  
...  

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a well-established risk factor for several neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, however, a link between TBI and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has not been clearly elucidated. Using the SOD1G93A rat model known to recapitulate the human ALS condition, we found that exposure to mild, repetitive TBI lead ALS rats to experience earlier disease onset and shortened survival relative to their sham counterparts. Importantly, increased severity of early injury symptoms prior to the onset of ALS disease symptoms was linked to poor health of corticospinal motor neurons and predicted worsened outcome later in life. Whereas ALS rats with only mild behavioral injury deficits exhibited no observable changes in corticospinal motor neuron health and did not present with early onset or shortened survival, those with more severe injury-related deficits exhibited alterations in corticospinal motor neuron health and presented with significantly earlier onset and shortened lifespan. While these studies do not imply that TBI causes ALS, we provide experimental evidence that head injury is a risk factor for earlier disease onset in a genetically predisposed ALS population and is associated with poor health of corticospinal motor neurons.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 717
Author(s):  
Ilenia Savinetti ◽  
Angela Papagna ◽  
Maria Foti

Monocytes play a crucial role in immunity and tissue homeostasis. They constitute the first line of defense during the inflammatory process, playing a role in the pathogenesis and progression of diseases, making them an attractive therapeutic target. They are heterogeneous in morphology and surface marker expression, which suggest different molecular and physiological properties. Recent evidences have demonstrated their ability to enter the brain, and, as a consequence, their hypothetical role in different neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we will discuss the current knowledge about the correlation between monocyte dysregulation in the brain and/or in the periphery and neurological diseases in humans. Here we will focus on the most common neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 671
Author(s):  
Oihane Pikatza-Menoio ◽  
Amaia Elicegui ◽  
Xabier Bengoetxea ◽  
Neia Naldaiz-Gastesi ◽  
Adolfo López de Munain ◽  
...  

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive degeneration of motor neurons (MNs) and severe muscle atrophy without effective treatment. Most research on ALS has been focused on the study of MNs and supporting cells of the central nervous system. Strikingly, the recent observations of pathological changes in muscle occurring before disease onset and independent from MN degeneration have bolstered the interest for the study of muscle tissue as a potential target for delivery of therapies for ALS. Skeletal muscle has just been described as a tissue with an important secretory function that is toxic to MNs in the context of ALS. Moreover, a fine-tuning balance between biosynthetic and atrophic pathways is necessary to induce myogenesis for muscle tissue repair. Compromising this response due to primary metabolic abnormalities in the muscle could trigger defective muscle regeneration and neuromuscular junction restoration, with deleterious consequences for MNs and thereby hastening the development of ALS. However, it remains puzzling how backward signaling from the muscle could impinge on MN death. This review provides a comprehensive analysis on the current state-of-the-art of the role of the skeletal muscle in ALS, highlighting its contribution to the neurodegeneration in ALS through backward-signaling processes as a newly uncovered mechanism for a peripheral etiopathogenesis of the disease.


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