Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2018
Observational StudyImaging muscle as a potential biomarker of denervation in motor neuron disease.
To assess clinical, electrophysiological and whole-body muscle MRI measurements of progression in patients with motor neuron disease (MND), as tools for future clinical trials, and to probe pathophysiological mechanisms in vivo. ⋯ Whole-body muscle MRI offers a new approach to objective assessment of denervation over short timescales in MND and enables investigation of patterns of disease spread in vivo. Muscles inaccessible to conventional clinical and electrophysiological assessment may be investigated using this methodology.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2018
Serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms may be associated with poststroke neurological recovery after escitalopram use.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) putatively improve neurological recovery after stroke. We aimed to investigate whether serotonin transporter (SERT) gene polymorphisms are related to the responsiveness to SSRIs in the poststroke neurological recovery. ⋯ STin2 VNTR polymorphisms may be associated with poststroke neurological recovery after SSRI therapy. Further studies are needed to identify the role of serotonin in neurological recovery after stroke.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2018
Chitotriosidase (CHIT1) is increased in microglia and macrophages in spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and cerebrospinal fluid levels correlate with disease severity and progression.
Neurochemical markers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that reflect underlying disease mechanisms might help in diagnosis, staging and prediction of outcome. We aimed at determining the origin and differential diagnostic and prognostic potential of the putative marker of microglial activation chitotriosidase (CHIT1). ⋯ CHIT1 concentrations in the CSF of patients with ALS may reflect the extent of microglia/macrophage activation in the white matter of the spinal cord. CHIT1 could be a potentially useful marker for differential diagnosis and prediction of disease progression in ALS and, therefore, seems suitable as a supplemental marker for patient stratification in therapeutic trials.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2018
Quality of life in inflammatory neuropathies: the IN-QoL.
No consensus exists which quality of life (QoL) measure should be used in patients with inflammatory neuropathies. Moreover, most QoL measures are ordinal-based scales with their known deficiencies. ⋯ The IN-QoL questionnaire fulfils modern clinimetric requirements and correlates strongly with a patient's self-assessment of their own quality of health, while also showing responsiveness in patients with GBS and CIDP. We propose using the IN-QoL and the EQ-VAS for assessing the QoL of patients with inflammatory neuropathies in future studies.
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J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatr. · Mar 2018
Sleep and REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson's disease with impulse control disorder.
Because the association between rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and impulse control disorders (ICDs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been debated, we assessed the sleep characteristics and the frequency of RBD using video-polysomnography (v-PSG) in patients with PD with versus without ICDs. ⋯ This large, controlled series of patients with PD with ICDs assessed by v-PSG confirms the association between ICDs and RBD. Increased surveillance of symptoms of ICDs should be recommended in patients with PD with RBD.