Journal of the neurological sciences
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The El Escorial and the revised Airlie House diagnostic criteria for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were introduced to select patients for clinical trials. Heterogeneity of clinical presentation at onset and delay in diagnosis may decrease the likelihood for trial entry. ⋯ In this population-based series, diagnostic delay was longer in subjects with spinal onset and age between 65 and 75 and fasciculation as first symptoms. About 80% of incident cases were trial eligible with AHC criteria. However, a significant number of subjects with ALS, characterized by a limited spread of signs, were not trial eligible while alive.
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Cognitive impairment is a common feature in Parkinson's disease (PD) and is an important predictor of quality of life. Past studies showed that some aspects of cognition, such as working memory, can be enhanced following dopaminergic therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation. The aim of our study was to investigate whether another form of noninvasive brain stimulation, anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which increases cortical excitability, is associated with a change in a working memory task performance in PD patients. ⋯ tDCS may exert a beneficial effect on working memory in PD patients that depends on the intensity and site of stimulation. This effect might be explained by the local increase in the excitability of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
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In this study we have explored the nature and range of sleep dysfunction that occurs in untreated Parkinson's disease (PD) comparing data obtained from the use of the Parkinson's disease sleep scale (PDSS) in an untreated PD patient group compared to advanced PD and healthy controls. 25 untreated (drug-naive, DNPD) PD patients (mean age 66.9 years, range 53-80, 18 males) completed the validated Parkinson's disease sleep scale (PDSS), mean duration of PD was 2.1 years (1-10, up to 4 years in all except one patient with tremulous PD reporting tremor duration of 10 years) and mean Hoehn and Yahr score 1.9 (1-3). Data were compared to 34 advanced PD (mean age 70.2 years, range 51-88, 23 male), mean duration of PD 11 years (range 4-22), mean Hoehn and Yahr score 3.4 (3-5) and PDSS data obtained from 131 healthy controls (mean age 66.6 years, range 50-93, 56 males). Total PDSS scores and PDSS sub-items, except PDSS item 2, were highly significantly different (p<0.001) between DNPD, advanced PD and controls. ⋯ In a subgroup of 11 advanced PD cases (mean age 62 years, range=49-84 years, mean Hoehn and Yahr score 2.5, range=1-3) with high Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores (mean 14.5), low item 15 PDSS score (mean 4.7) and complaints of severe daytime sleepiness, underwent detailed overnight polysomnography (PSG) studies, all showing abnormal sleep patterns. We conclude that nocturia, nighttime cramps, dystonia, tremor and daytime somnolence seem to be the important nocturnal disabilities in DNPD and some of these symptoms may be reminiscent of "off" period related symptoms even though patients are untreated. Furthermore, polysomnography in "sleepy" PD patients may help diagnose unrecognised conditions such as periodic limb movement of sleep (PLMS), obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder.
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Comparative Study
Effect of combined therapy with thrombolysis and citicoline in a rat model of embolic stroke.
An approach combining reperfusion mediated by thrombolytics with pharmacological neuroprotection aimed at inhibiting the physiopathological disorders responsible for ischemia-reperfusion damage, could provide an optimal treatment of ischemic stroke. We investigate, in a rat embolic stroke model, the combination of rtPA with citicoline as compared to either alone as monotherapy, and whether the neuroprotector should be provided before or after thrombolysis to achieve a greater reduction of ischemic brain damage. One hundred and nine rats have been studied: four were sham-operated and the rest embolized in the right internal carotid artery with an autologous clot and divided among 5 groups: 1) control; 2) iv rtPA 5 mg/kg 30 min post-embolization 3) citicoline 250 mg/kg ip x3 doses, 10 min, 24 h and 48 h post-embolization; 4) citicoline combined with rtPA following the same pattern; 5) rtPA combined with citicoline, with a first dose 10 min after thrombolysis. ⋯ CiT as monotherapy only produced a significant reduction of neuronal death in striatum (p=0.014). The combination of CiT before rtPA did not add any benefit to rtPA alone. The superiority of the combined treatment with rtPA followed by citicoline suggests that early reperfusion should be followed by effective neuroprotection to inhibit ischemia-reperfusion injury and better protect the tissue at risk.
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Comparative Study
Early cognitive impairment predicts long-term depressive symptoms and quality of life after stroke.
The aim of the present study was to examine the predictive value of cognitive impairment in the acute phase after stroke as a risk factor for long-term (six to ten months after stroke) depressive symptoms (DS) and a reduced quality of life (QOL), independent of demographic and neurological predictors. ⋯ Cognitive impairment and vascular risk factors are important predictors of long-term DS and QOL after stroke. The prognostic value of cognition suggests a reactive component in the development or continuation of long-term DS.