Parkinson Disease
RSSArticles
-
Does Physical Activity Lower the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease?
A systematic review and meta-analysis incorporating more than 500,000 subjects revealed that moderate to vigorous physical activity is associated with a significant reduction in development of Parkinson’s disease; this relationship is most pronounced in men.
-
Thinking Outside of the ‘Alpha-Synuclein Box’: A Critical Role of Tau in Lewy Body Disorders
Neocortical tau pathology was associated with worse antemortem cognition in this large study of Parkinson’s disease dementia and dementia with Lewy bodies. Regional brain variations correlated with specific cognitive domains.
-
Quality of Life After Focused Ultrasound Thalamotomy in Parkinson’s Disease
Mood, cognitive, and behavioral changes in tremor-predominant Parkinson’s disease patients, three and 12 months after receiving MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy, were correlated with quality of life more than the severity of tremor reduction.
-
Rapid Screening for Future Risk of Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
The Montreal Parkinson Risk of Dementia Scale provides a simple eight-item screening tool with high predictive value for developing Parkinson’s disease dementia.
-
Functional Imaging Studies in Parkinson’s Disease
A meta-analysis of 142 studies demonstrated that functional imaging studies in Parkinson’s disease using tracers for aromatic acid decarboxylase showed smaller defects compared to those using tracers targeting dopamine transport and VMAT2. Symptom severity correlated linearly with dopamine neuron loss as determined by these imaging studies.
-
TBI in Prodromal Parkinson’s Disease
This population-based study using Medicare data demonstrated that in the five years prior to diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease (PD), when compared with age-matched controls, those who were diagnosed with PD had a higher incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The TBI was rated as mild and concussive and was most often related to falls.
-
MRI-guided FUS Thalamotomy for Medically Refractory Parkinson’s Tremor
This study comparing 20 individuals who received MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy with seven individuals who received sham treatment showed improvements in Parkinson’s disease tremor. Side effects were similar to prior studies of this technology for essential tremor, with ataxia and limb/orofacial paresthesias being most common.
-
Plasma α-Synuclein Is a Leading Candidate Biomarker in Parkinson’s Disease
In this cross-sectional study, plasma alpha-synuclein levels were higher in individuals with Parkinson’s disease than controls, and correlated with cognitive decline.
-
Serotonin Transporter Increases in Premotor Parkinson’s Disease
In a small cross-sectional study, increased serotonin transporter was detected using 11C-DASB PET in striatum, hypothalamus, and brainstem in LRRK2 carriers who did not have clinical Parkinson’s disease. This contrasts with later decreases previously described and implies a likely early compensatory mechanism.
-
Bright-light Therapy for Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
Light therapy has been shown to be beneficial in treating excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson’s disease patients and also may improve sleep quality.