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

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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A Preclinical Systematic Review of Ginsenoside-Rg1 in Experimental Parkinson’s Disease

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity ◽

10.1155/2017/2163053 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-14 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Liang Song ◽

Meng-Bei Xu ◽

Xiao-Li Zhou ◽

Dao-pei Zhang ◽

Shu-ling Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Quality Score ◽

Control Group ◽

Rotarod Test ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Disease Modifying ◽

Antioxidant Stress ◽

Th Mrna

To date, no drug has been proven to be neuroprotective or disease-modifying for Parkinson’s disease (PD) in clinical trials. Here, we aimed to assess preclinical evidence of Ginsenosides-Rg1 (G-Rg1), a potential neuroprotectant, for experimental PD and its possible mechanisms. Eligible studies were identified by searching six electronic databases from their inception to August 2016. Twenty-five eligible studies involving 516 animals were identified. The quality score of these studies ranged from 3 to 7. Compared with the control group, two out of the 12 studies of MPTP-induced PD showed significant effects of G-Rg1 for improving the rotarod test (P<0.01), two studies for improving the swim-score values (P<0.01), six studies for improving the level of TH protein expression (P<0.01), and two studies for increasing the expression of TH mRNA in the substantia nigra of mice (P<0.01). The studies reported that G-Rg1 exerted potential neuroprotective effects on PD model through different mechanisms as antineuroinflammatory activities (n=10), antioxidant stress (n=3), and antiapoptosis (n=11). In conclusion, G-Rg1 exerted potential neuroprotective functions against PD largely by antineuroinflammatory, antioxidative, and antiapoptotic effects. G-Rg1 as a promising neuroprotectant for PD needs further confirmation by clinical trials.

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Substantia nigra ferric overload and neuromelanin loss in Parkinson's disease measured with 7T MRI

10.1101/2021.04.13.21255416 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Catarina Rua ◽

Claire O'Callaghan ◽

Rong Ye ◽

Frank Hubert Hezemans ◽

Luca Passamonti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

High Resolution ◽

Substantia Nigra ◽

Clinical Severity ◽

7 Tesla ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Iron Loading ◽

Weighted Sequence

Background: Vulnerability of the substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease is associated with ferric overload, leading to neurodegeneration with cognitive and motor decline. Here, we quantify iron and neuromelanin-related markers in vivo using ultra-high field 7-Tesla MRI, and examine the clinical correlates of these imaging assessments. Methods: Twenty-five people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease and twenty-six healthy controls underwent high-resolution imaging at 7-Tesla with a T2*-weighted sequence (measuring susceptibility-χ and R2*, sensitive to iron) and a magnetization transfer-weighted sequence (MT-w, sensitive to neuromelanin). From an independent control group (N=29), we created study-specific regions-of-interest for five neuromelanin- and/or iron-rich subregions within the substantia nigra. Mean R2*, susceptibility-χ and their ratio, as well as the MT-w contrast-to-noise ratio (MT-CNR) were extracted from these regions and compared between groups. We then tested the relationships between these imaging metrics and clinical severity. Results: People with Parkinson's disease showed a significant ~50% reduction in MT-CNR compared to healthy controls. They also showed a 1.2-fold increase in ferric iron loading (elevation of the ΔR2*/Δχ ratio from 0.19±0.058ms/ppm to 0.22±0.059ms/ppm) in an area of the substantia nigra identified as having both high neuromelanin and susceptibility MRI signal in healthy controls. In this region, the ferric-to-ferrous iron loading was associated with disease duration (β=0.0072, pFDR=0.048) and cognitive impairment (β=-0.0115, pFDR=0.048). Conclusions: T2*-weighted and MT-weighted high-resolution 7T imaging markers identified neurochemical consequences of Parkinson's disease, in overlapping but not-identical regions. These changes correlated with non-motor symptoms.

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AETIONOMY, a Cross-Sectional Study Aimed at validating a new taxonomy of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Study design and subject characteristics

10.1101/19004804 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jean Christophe Corvol ◽

Sarah Bujac ◽

Stephanie Carvalho ◽

Bethan Clarke ◽

Jacqueline Marovac ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Medical Needs ◽

Skin Biopsies

AbstractBackgroundAlthough advances in the understanding of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) have led to improvements in classification and diagnosis and most importantly to new therapies, the unmet medical needs remain significant due to high treatment failure rates. The AETIONOMY project funded by the Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI) aims at using multi-OMICs and bioinformatics to identify new classifications for NDDs based on common molecular pathophysiological mechanisms in view of improving the availability of personalised treatments.ObjectivesThe purpose of the AETIONOMY cross-sectional study is to validate novel patient classification criteria provided by these tools.MethodsThis was a European multi centre, cross-sectional, clinical study conducted at 6 sites in 3 countries. Standardised clinical data, biosamples from peripheral blood, cerebrospinal fluid, skin biopsies, and data from a multi-OMICs approach were collected in patients suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, as well as healthy controls.ResultsFrom September 2015 to December 2017 a total of 421 participants were recruited including 95 Healthy Controls. Nearly 1,500 biological samples were collected. The study achieved its objective with respect to Parkinson’s disease (PD) recruitment, however it was unable to recruit many new Alzheimer Disease (AD) patients. Overall, data from 413 evaluable subjects (405 PD and 8 AD) are available for analysis. PD patients and controls were well matched with respect to age (mean 63.4 years), however, close gender matching was not achieved. Approximately half of all PD patients and one At-Risk subject were taking dopamine agonists; rates of Levodopa usage were slightly higher (∼60%). Median MDS-UPDRS Part III Scores (OFF state) ranged from 45 (SD 18) in those with Genetic PD to 2 (SD 3) in Healthy Controls. The standardised methodologies applied resulted in a high-quality database with very few missing data.ConclusionThis is one of the collaborative multi-OMICs studies in individuals suffering from PD and AD involving a control group. It is expected that the integration of data will provide new biomarker-led descriptions of clusters of patient subgroups.

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Co-registration Analysis of Fluorodopa and Fluorodeoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography for Differentiating Multiple System Atrophy Parkinsonism Type From Parkinson's Disease

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.648531 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Wen-biao Xian ◽

Xin-chong Shi ◽

Gan-hua Luo ◽

Chang Yi ◽

Xiang-song Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Positron Emission Tomography ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Multiple System Atrophy ◽

Statistical Parametric Mapping ◽

Emission Tomography ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Positron Emission ◽

Segmentation Analysis

It is difficult to differentiate between Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy parkinsonian subtype (MSA-P) because of the overlap of their signs and symptoms. Enormous efforts have been made to develop positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to differentiate these diseases. This study aimed to investigate the co-registration analysis of 18F-fluorodopa and 18F-flurodeoxyglucose PET images to visualize the difference between Parkinson's disease and MSA-P. We enrolled 29 Parkinson's disease patients, 28 MSA-P patients, and 10 healthy controls, who underwent both 18F-fluorodopa and 18F-flurodeoxyglucose PET scans. Patients with Parkinson's disease and MSA-P exhibited reduced bilateral striatal 18F-fluorodopa uptake (p < 0.05, vs. healthy controls). Both regional specific uptake ratio analysis and statistical parametric mapping analysis of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose PET revealed hypometabolism in the bilateral putamen of MSA-P patients and hypermetabolism in the bilateral putamen of Parkinson's disease patients. There was a significant positive correlation between 18F-flurodeoxyglucose uptake and 18F-fluorodopa uptake in the contralateral posterior putamen of MSA-P patients (rs = 0.558, p = 0.002). Both 18F-flurodeoxyglucose and 18F-fluorodopa PET images showed that the striatum was rabbit-shaped in the healthy control group segmentation analysis. A defective rabbit-shaped striatum was observed in the 18F-fluorodopa PET image of patients with Parkinson's disease and MSA-P. In the segmentation analysis of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose PET image, an intact rabbit-shaped striatum was observed in Parkinson's disease patients, whereas a defective rabbit-shaped striatum was observed in MSA-P patients. These findings suggest that there were significant differences in the co-registration analysis of 18F-flurodeoxyglucose and 18F-fluorodopa PET images, which could be used in the individual analysis to differentiate Parkinson's disease from MSA-P.

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Effort-Based Decision-Making for Exercise in People with Parkinson’s Disease

Journal of Parkinson s Disease ◽

10.3233/jpd-202353 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Cristina Colón-Semenza ◽

Daniel Fulford ◽

Terry Ellis

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Decision Making ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Motor Task ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Physical Effort ◽

Dopaminergic Pathway ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship ◽

Non Motor Symptoms

Background: People with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) are less active than their age-matched peers. Non-motor symptoms, specifically, deficient motivation, may influence decision-making for exercise due to the impaired mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if effort-based decision-making for physical effort was different in PwPD compared to healthy controls. We sought to determine the relationship between effort-based decision making for exercise and a discrete motor task as well as the impact of components of motivation on decision-making for physical effort in PwPD. Methods: An effort-based decision-making paradigm using a discrete motor task (button pressing) and a continuous exercise task (cycling) was implemented in 32 PwPD and 23 healthy controls. Components of motivation were measured using the Apathy Scale and the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale- Anticipatory Pleasure scale. Results: The presence of Parkinson’s disease (PD) did not moderate decisions for either physical effort task. There was a moderate correlation between decisions for both tasks, within each group. The anticipation of pleasure and apathy were predictors of decisions for both physical effort tasks in PwPD, but not in healthy controls. Conclusion: PwPD responded similarly to effort and reward valuations compared to those without PD. Individuals were consistent in their decisions, regardless of the physical effort task. The anticipation of pleasure and apathy were significant predictors of decisions for exercise in PwPD only. Increased anticipation of pleasure, reduction of apathy, and the use of rewards may enhance engagement in high effort exercise among PwPD.

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Soluble Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cells 2 From Cerebrospinal Fluid in Sleep Disorders Related to Parkinson’s Disease

Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnagi.2021.753210 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

Author(s):

Mingshu Mo ◽

Yuting Tang ◽

Lijian Wei ◽

Jiewen Qiu ◽

Guoyou Peng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Sleep Disorders ◽

Characteristic Curve ◽

Myeloid Cells ◽

Diagnostic Value ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Potential Biomarker ◽

The Central Nervous System ◽

The Relationship

Background: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a microglial receptor exclusively expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). It contributes to abnormal protein aggregation in neurodegenerative disorders, but its role in Parkinson’s disease (PD) is still unclear.Methods: In this case-control study, we measured the concentration of the soluble fragment of TREM2 (sTREM2) in PD patients, evaluated their sleep conditions by the PD sleep scale (PDSS), and analyzed the relationship between sTREM2 and PD symptoms.Results: We recruited 80 sporadic PD patients and 65 healthy controls without disease-related variants in TREM2. The concentration of sTREM2 in the CSF was significantly higher in PD patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.01). In the PD group, the concentration of sTREM2 had a positive correlation with α-syn in the CSF (Pearson r = 0.248, p = 0.027). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses showed that sTREM2 in the CSF had a significant diagnostic value for PD (AUC, 0.791; 95% CI, 0.711–0.871, p < 0.05). The subgroup analysis showed that PD patients with sleep disorders had a significantly higher concentration of sTREM2 in their CSF (p < 0.01). The concentration of sTREM2 in the CSF had a negative correlation with the PDSS score in PD patients (Pearson r = −0.555, p < 0.01). The ROC analyses showed that sTREM2 in the CSF had a significant diagnostic value for sleep disorders in PD (AUC, 0.733; 95% CI, 0.619–0.846, p < 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings suggest that CSF sTREM2 may be a potential biomarker for PD and it could help predict sleep disorders in PD patients, but multicenter prospective studies with more participants are still needed to confirm its diagnostic value in future.

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Effects of Nordic walking on Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials

Fisioterapia e Pesquisa ◽

10.1590/1809-2950/15861023042016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 439-447 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Franciele Cascaes da Silva ◽

Rodrigo da Rosa Iop ◽

Beatriz Angélica Valdivia Arancibia ◽

Elizandra Gonçalves Ferreira ◽

Salma Stéphany Soleman Hernandez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Clinical Trials ◽

Randomized Clinical Trials ◽

Disease Stage ◽

Control Group ◽

Nordic Walking ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Manual Search

ABSTRACT Several exercise modalities improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Among the variety of physical exercises, Nordic walking has been used. The aim of this study was to summarize scientific literature on effects of Nordic walking on patients with PD by a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. The following electronic databases were selected: MEDLINE by Pubmed, Cochrane, PEDro, SCOPUS and Web of Science and articles identified by manual search, without restriction of date and language. The reviewers evaluated the articles and selected studies according to the eligibility criteria. The following data were extracted from the selected studies: publication identification, participants’ characteristics (sex, age, disease stage, duration of disease), experimental intervention characteristics, control group characteristics, duration, follow-up time, outcome measures and main results. Nordic walking programs with moderate and high intensities, with a minimum of 12 sessions of 60 minutes in a period from 6 to 24 weeks promoted positive effects on the severity, gait, balance, quality of life, functional capacity and motor function in patients with PD.

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Resistance training with instability is more effective than resistance training in improving spinal inhibitory mechanisms in Parkinson’s disease

Journal of Applied Physiology ◽

10.1152/japplphysiol.00557.2016 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 122 (1) ◽

pp. 1-10 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Carla Silva-Batista ◽

Eugenia Casella Tavares Mattos ◽

Daniel M. Corcos ◽

Jessica M. Wilson ◽

Charles J. Heckman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Resistance Training ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Presynaptic Inhibition ◽

Reciprocal Inhibition ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Significant Group ◽

Inhibitory Mechanisms

This study assessed 1) the effects of 12 wk of resistance training (RT) and resistance training with instability (RTI) on presynaptic inhibition (PSI) and disynaptic reciprocal inhibition (DRI) of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD); 2) the effectiveness of RT and RTI in moving PSI and DRI values of patients toward values of age-matched healthy controls (HC; Z-score analysis); and 3) associations between PSI and DRI changes and clinical outcomes changes previously published. Thirteen patients in RT group, 13 in RTI group, and 11 in a nonexercising control group completed the trial. While RT and RTI groups performed resistance exercises twice a week for 12 wk, only the RTI group used unstable devices. The soleus H reflex was used to evaluate resting PSI and DRI before and after the experimental protocol. The HC ( n = 31) was assessed at pretest only. There were significant group × time interactions for PSI ( P < 0.0001) and DRI ( P < 0.0001). RTI was more effective than RT in increasing the levels of PSI ( P = 0.0154) and DRI ( P < 0.0001) at posttraining and in moving PSI [confidence interval (CI) 0.1–0.5] and DRI (CI 0.6–1.1) levels to those observed in HC. There was association between DRI and quality of life changes ( r = −0.69, P = 0.008) and a strong trend toward association between PSI and postural instability changes ( r = 0.60, P = 0.051) after RTI. RTI increased PSI and DRI levels more than RT, reaching the average values of the HC. Thus RTI may cause plastic changes in PSI and DRI pathways that are associated with some PD clinical outcomes. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have motor dysfunction. Spinal inhibitory mechanisms are important for modulating both supraspinal motor commands and sensory feedback at the spinal level. Resistance training with instability was more effective than resistance training in increasing the levels of presynaptic inhibition and disynaptic reciprocal inhibition of lower limb at rest of the patients with PD, reaching the average values of the healthy controls.

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Effects of vitamin D on motor symptoms and cognitive functions in people with Parkinson’s disease

GSC Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences ◽

10.30574/gscbps.2021.15.1.0109 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 135-140

Author(s):

Gülbün Asuman Yüksel ◽

Gizem Gürsoy

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Vitamin D ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Serum Vitamin ◽

Control Group ◽

Serum Vitamin D ◽

Vitamin D Levels ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Relationship ◽

Lower Vitamin

Aim of the study: Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. The present study investigates the role of vitamin D deficiency thought to be one of the etiopathological and modifying factors in Parkinson’s disease that is known to be multifactorial. Materials and Methods: Designed as a retrospective review of medical records, this study compares the serum vitamin D levels of the idiopathic Parkinson’s disease patients with and without dementia to those of the healthy individuals with no metabolic/degenerative disorders. It also investigates the relationship between the patients’ Standardized Mini-Mental State Examination (SMMSE) and the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores and serum vitamin D levels to show the effects of vitamin D on motor symptoms and cognitive functions. Results: In this study, we compared the serum vitamin D levels of 40 Parkinson’s disease patients and 15 Parkinson’s disease patients with dementia to those of the control group comprising 30 healthy individuals. Vitamin D levels were 21,4±15,9 ng/mL in the control group; 16,5±6,4 ng/mL in Parkinson’s disease patients and 13,8±4,5 ng/mL in Parkinson’s disease patients with dementia. All the patient groups had significantly lower vitamin D levels than the control group (p<0,005). Within the Parkinson’s disease group, furthermore, the dementia group had lower vitamin D levels than the non-dementia group. Having examined the relationship between the SMMSE scores and serum vitamin D levels, we found a significant difference in the Parkinson’s disease dementia group (p: 0,020), as well as a relationship of 59,4% in the same direction. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in either patient group in the scores of UPDRS evaluating clinical disability. Conclusion: Consistent with the literature, the present study found that people with Parkinson’s disease had lower mean values of serum vitamin D levels than the control group and showed that serum vitamin D levels were correlated with the cognitive performance. However, the study could not find a relationship between the serum vitamin D levels and the motor performance.

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Differences in the Composition of Gut Microbiota between Patients with Parkinson’s Disease and Healthy Controls: A Cohort Study

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10235698 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (23) ◽

pp. 5698

Author(s):

Barbara Zapała ◽

Tomasz Stefura ◽

Magdalena Wójcik-Pędziwiatr ◽

Radosław Kabut ◽

Marta Bałajewicz-Nowak ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Parkinson’S Disease ◽

Parkinson's Disease ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Demographic Data ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Gastrointestinal Microbiota ◽

The Difference ◽

Generation Sequencing

Gut microbiome and colonic inflammation can be associated with the predisposition and progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The presented study aimed to compare gastrointestinal microbiota composition between patients diagnosed with PD and treated only with Levodopa to healthy controls. In this prospective study, patients were recruited in 1 academic hospital from July 2019 to July 2020. The detailed demographic data and medical history were collected using a set of questionnaires. Fecal samples were obtained from all participants. Next-Generation Sequencing was used to assess the microbiota composition. The endpoint was the difference in composition of the gut microbiota. In this study, we enrolled 27 hospitalized PD patients with well-controlled symptoms. The control group included 44 healthy subjects matched for age. Among PD patients, our results presented a higher abundance of Bacteroides phylum, class Corynebacteria among phylum Actinobacteria, class Deltaproteobacteria among phylum Proteobacteria, and genera such as Butyricimonas, Robinsoniella, and Flavonifractor. The species Akkermansia muciniphila, Eubacterium biforme, and Parabacteroides merdae were identified as more common in the gut microbiota of PD patients. In conclusion, the patients diagnosed with PD have significantly different gut microbiota profiles in comparison with healthy controls.

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