Parkinsonism & related disorders
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Nov 2013
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyImportance of motor vs. non-motor symptoms for health-related quality of life in early Parkinson's disease.
The relative impact of motor- and non-motor symptoms on health-related quality of life in early Parkinson's disease is poorly documented. ⋯ In early PD, including the phase before dopaminergic treatment is initiated, non-motor symptoms are more important for reduced health-related quality of life than motor symptoms. Fatigue, depression, sensory complaints and gait disturbances emerge as the most relevant symptoms and should be given corresponding attention in the management of patients with early PD.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Nov 2013
Multicenter Study Observational StudyCaregiver strain in Parkinson's disease: national Parkinson Foundation Quality Initiative study.
National Parkinson Foundation Quality Improvement Initiatives (NPF-QII) is the first large scale data-driven initiative in Parkinson's disease (PD) aimed at identifying variables predicting best care models and outcomes. ⋯ There is a high prevalence of caregiver strain in PD. PDQ-39 total score has the strongest association with high levels of caregiver strain. These results could guide clinicians in the assessment of caregivers at risk.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Nov 2013
Multicenter StudyThe LRRK2 G2019S mutation status does not affect the outcome of subthalamic stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an established therapy for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The most common genetic mutation associated with PD identified to date is the G2019S mutation of the LRRK2 gene, which is highly prevalent in the Ashkenazi Jewish population. The effect of STN-DBS surgery in patients carrying this mutation has not been systematically studied. We therefore performed a case-control study to evaluate the impact of the G2019S mutation status on the outcomes of bilateral STN-DBS. ⋯ In our study, STN-DBS outcomes were not influenced by the LRRK2 G2019S mutation, and thus knowledge of carrier status may not be relevant to the considerations of patient selection for surgery.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Nov 2013
Observational StudyOrthostatic myoclonus: an underrecognized cause of unsteadiness?
Recently, orthostatic myoclonus (OM) has been suggested as a cause of gait impairment and unsteadiness in neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of orthostatic myoclonus, its clinical characteristics and the underlying associated neurological disorders. ⋯ Orthostatic myoclonus is often underdiagnosed and can be considered a possible cause of unsteadiness in subjects with neurodegenerative diseases. Electromyography surface recording is thereby an aid for investigating unsteadiness of unknown origin.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Nov 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialUsing virtual reality to explore the role of conflict resolution and environmental salience in freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.
The freezing phenomenon is among the most disabling symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) manifesting most commonly as Freezing of Gait with a paroxysmal cessation of effective stepping. Recent studies have suggested that freezing is related to both impairments in conflict resolution as well as the processing of environmentally salient information. ⋯ These results suggest that deficits in conflict resolution and visuospatial processing may reflect some of the neural mechanisms associated with freezing behavior and that these can be probed in a virtual reality environment.