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
Clinical utility of amyloid PET imaging with (18)F-florbetapir: a retrospective study of 100 patients.
Amyloid-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging (API) detects amyloid-beta pathology early in the course of Alzheimer's disease (AD) with high sensitivity and specificity. (18)F-florbetapir (Amyvid) is an amyloid-binding PET ligand with a half-life suitable for clinical use outside of the research setting. How API affects patient investigation and management in the 'real-world' arena is unknown. To address this, we retrospectively documented the effect of API in patients in the memory clinic. ⋯ API has a clear impact on the investigation of young-onset or complex dementia while reducing the overall burden of investigations. It was most useful in younger patients, atypical presentations or individuals with multiple possible causes of cognitive impairment.