Journal of neurology
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Journal of neurology · Jun 2016
Meta AnalysisVoxel-based meta-analysis of gray matter volume reductions associated with cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.
Brain gray matter volume (GMV) reduction has been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD) with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) and in PD patients with dementia (PDD) with cumulative evidence using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). However, the findings of these studies have not been entirely concordant. Whole-brain VBM studies comparing PD-MCI with PD patients without cognitive impairment (PD-NCI) and comparing PDD with PD patients without dementia (PDND) were systematically searched in PubMed and EMBASE databases from January 1995 to December 2015. ⋯ Meta-regression of PDD studies showed that disease duration was negatively correlated with GMV in the left superior frontal lobe. GMV reductions in the frontal-limbic-temporal regions were main features of cognitive decline in PD. Unilateral-to-bilateral development of GMV reduction in the frontal-limbic-temporal regions is a possible indicator for PD-MCI to PDD progression, whereas significant hippocampal GMV reduction may not be a marker for early cognitive decline in PD.
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Journal of neurology · Jun 2016
The role of global and regional gray matter volume decrease in multiple sclerosis.
Disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is associated with white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) pathology, and both processes contribute differently over the disease course. Total and regional GM volume loss can be imaged via voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Here, we retrospectively analyzed a group of 213 MS patients [163 relapsing remitting (RR) and 50 secondary progressive (SP)] using semi-automated white matter (WM) lesion mapping and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). ⋯ Regional volume loss in the cerebellar gray matter was associated with increasing EDSS and WM lesion volume. Furthermore, SPMS patients had significantly more gray matter volume loss in the cerebellum and the hippocampus compared to RRMS patients. Our results confirm histopathological studies emphasizing the important role of the cerebellum and the hippocampus in MS patients' disability.
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Journal of neurology · May 2016
Coherence in resting-state EEG as a predictor for the recovery from unresponsive wakefulness syndrome.
We investigated differences of EEG coherence within (short-range), and between (long-range) specified brain areas as diagnostic markers for different states in disorders of consciousness (DOC), and their predictive value for recovery from unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (UWS). EEGs of 73 patients and 24 controls were recorded and coma recovery scale- revised (CRS-R) scores were assessed. CRS-R of UWS patients was collected after 12 months and divided into two groups (improved/unimproved). ⋯ Parietal coherence was significantly higher in delta and theta frequencies in the improved group, as well as the coherence between frontal and parietal regions in delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequencies. High parietal delta and theta, and high fronto-parietal theta and alpha coherence appear to provide strong early evidence for recovery from UWS with high predictive sensitivity and specificity. Short and long-range coherence can have a diagnostic value in the prognosis of recovery from UWS.
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Journal of neurology · May 2016
Biography Historical ArticleGiovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771).
Giovanni Battista Morgagni (1682-1771) is considered the father of neuropathology and one of the most important innovators in the history of medicine. In his "opus magnum" De sedibus et causis morborum per anatomen indagatis (The Seats and causes of diseases investigated by anatomy), he established pathological anatomy as a science by correlating clinical histories with autopsy findings.
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Journal of neurology · May 2016
Long-term impact on quality of life of subthalamic nucleus stimulation in Parkinson's disease.
Long-term impact of bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and associated factors in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) are not clear. In this prospective study, we included 69 PD patients (64 % men, mean age 61.3 ± 7.4 and disease duration 13.2 ± 5.7 years) undergoing STN-DBS. They were evaluated preoperatively (baseline), 1 and 5 years postoperatively assessing 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale (SEADL), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) off- and on-medication, patient diaries, dopaminergic treatment, mortality and surgical complications. ⋯ Lower preoperative PDQ-39 summary index and greater 1-year UPDRS-III-off total score gain predicted better long-term HRQOL. STN-DBS produces long-term improvements in HRQOL in PD. Preoperative HRQOL and short-term postoperative changes in off-medication motor status may predict long-term HRQOL in PD following STN-DBS.