Parkinsonism & related disorders
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · May 2017
Olfactory dysfunction and dementia in newly diagnosed patients with Parkinson's disease.
Studies report that up to 90% of patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) have olfactory dysfunction (hyposmia). Hyposmia has also been connected to cognitive impairment and dementia in PD, but no studies of newly diagnosed patients followed longer than three years exists. The present study investigates the prevalence of olfactory dysfunction at PD diagnosis, how it evolves over time and whether hyposmia increases the risk of dementia in Parkinson's disease. ⋯ Olfactory dysfunction was common at the time of PD diagnosis and increased the risk of dementia up to ten years after PD diagnosis regardless of baseline cognitive function. Normal olfaction together with normal cognition at baseline predicted a benign cognitive course up to ten years after diagnosis.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Apr 2017
ReviewPalliative care and Parkinson's disease: Meeting summary and recommendations for clinical research.
Palliative care is an approach to caring for patients and families affected by serious illnesses that focuses on the relief of suffering through the management of medical symptoms, psychosocial issues, advance care planning and spiritual wellbeing. Over the past decade there has been an emerging clinical and research interest in the application of palliative care approaches to Parkinson's disease (PD) and outpatient palliative care services are now offered by several movement disorders centers. ⋯ Palliative Care for PD is a rapidly growing area which holds great promise for improving outcomes for PD patients and their caregivers. While clinical research in this area can build from lessons learned in other diseases, there is a need for observational, methodological and interventional research to address the unique needs of PD patients and caregivers.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Apr 2017
Is fatigue associated with cognitive dysfunction in early Parkinson's disease?
Fatigue is a common and disabling symptom which may be seen in early Parkinson's disease (PD). Our understanding of the phenomenology and etiology of fatigue in PD is limited. The objective of this study was to determine whether fatigue was related to cognition in early PD patients. ⋯ Fatigue is associated with visuospatial function in early PD patients. Further studies are needed to determine the pathophysiologic relevance of this association.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Jan 2017
Abnormal nociceptive processing occurs centrally and not peripherally in pain-free Parkinson disease patients: A study with laser-evoked potentials.
Several studies documented abnormal nociceptive processing in PD patients. Pain central pathways are accessible by laser-evoked potentials (LEPs). LEPs recording show a N2/P2 complex mostly generated by the anterior cingulate cortex, preceded by an earlier negative component (N1), originating from the opercular cortex. Previous work demonstrated N2/P2 amplitude reduction in PD patients and suggested a centrally-acting pathomechanism for the genesis of pain. However, since a peripheral deafferentation has been recently demonstrated in PD, it is not clear if such LEP abnormalities reflect a mechanism acting centrally or not. ⋯ These findings demonstrate that in the PD patients the abnormal processing of pain stimuli occurs at central rather than peripheral level. The co-existence of hyperalgesia and reduced amplitude of the N2/P2 complex, in spite of a normal N1/P1 component, suggests an imbalance between the medial and lateral pain systems. Such a dissociation might explain the genesis of central pain in PD.
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Parkinsonism Relat. Disord. · Dec 2016
Reliability and validity of a new dexterity questionnaire (DextQ-24) in Parkinson's disease.
Patients with Parkinson's disease exhibit disturbed dexterity. Validated self-reported outcomes for dexterity in Parkinson's disease are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability, content and construct validity of a new Dexterity Questionnaire 24. ⋯ The Dexterity Questionnaire 24 is valid and reliable for evaluating dexterity in patients with Parkinson's disease.