Parkinsonism & related disorders
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Oct 2014
Abnormal MoCA and normal range MMSE scores in Parkinson disease without dementia: cognitive and neurochemical correlates.
The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is increasingly being used as a cognitive screening test in Parkinson disease (PD). The MoCA's popularity likely reflects its ability to detect executive dysfunction, a relative deficiency of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). ⋯ PD subjects with normal range MMSE but abnormal MoCA scores had evidence of caudate nucleus dopaminergic denervation and mild cognitive changes, predominantly in executive function. The MoCA may be able to preferentially detect executive dysfunction compared to the MMSE, but the MoCA has limited diagnostic accuracy for PD-MCI, and should not be used alone to make this diagnosis.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Oct 2014
Comparative StudyTract based spatial statistics in multiple system atrophy: a comparison between clinical subtypes.
Using a novel method of tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS), this study aimed to investigate micro-structural white matter similarities and differences between the two MSA variants. ⋯ These findings indicate that patients with MSA-C and MSA-P share similar diffusivity abnormalities in the bilateral CST and right ATR. Higher AD values of SLF in MSA-P than in MSA-C might be a reason for faster functional deterioration in MSA-P than in MSA-C.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Oct 2014
The impact of STN deep brain stimulation on speech in individuals with Parkinson's disease: the patient's perspective.
Speech disturbance is highly prevalent and disabling for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been found to adversely impact speech in a number of individuals with PD. This study investigated the differential speech profiles between individuals with PD with and without DBS from the patient's perspective. ⋯ DBS therapy's contribution to speech disturbance is gaining more attention, and the speech symptoms ensuing from and/or being exacerbated by DBS are in the incipient stages of being investigated. Implications for DBS therapy on perceived quality of life are discussed.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Oct 2014
Catechol-O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism: modulation of wearing-off susceptibility in a Chinese cohort of Parkinson's disease.
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is one of the cardinal enzymes that metabolize dopamine and other catecholamine neurotransmitters in the central and peripheral nervous system. Recent studies have shown that the impact of COMT haplotypes on the development of wearing-off phenomenon is in dispute, while the relationship between COMT haplotypes and wearing-off phenomenon in ethnic Chinese population is lacking. ⋯ Our results demonstrated that Met/Met homozygosity of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism was related to a decreased risk of developing wearing-off. This finding suggests that COMT Val158Met may affect susceptibility to wearing-off in PD.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Oct 2014
Identification of FXTAS presenting with SCA 12 like phenotype in India.
Fragile X-associated Tremor/Ataxia syndrome (FXTAS) is a clinically heterogeneous disorder characterized predominantly by tremor, followed by late onset gait ataxia, autonomic dysfunction and/or cognitive impairment. We aimed to screen FMR1-CGG repeats in our cohort of progressive late-onset cerebellar ataxia/tremor cohort to characterize the occurrence of FXTAS in India. ⋯ Finding FXTAS in patients with SCA12-like manifestation suggests that TRE in the 5'UTR of the gene is the common cue connecting two disorders with common phenotype of tremor/ataxia. This knowledge might shed light upon their sharing of molecular neuropathology.