Revistas
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
ISSN:
1387-2877
Año:
2023
Vol.:
93
N°:
1
Págs.:
125 - 140
Background: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may represent a preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Predicting progression of SCD patients is of great importance in AD-related research but remains a challenge. Objective: To develop and implement an ensemble machine learning (ML) algorithm to identify SCD subjects at risk of conversion to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or AD. Methods: Ninety-nine SCD patients were included. Thirty-two progressed to MCI/AD, while 67 remained stable. To minimize the effect of class imbalance, both classes were balanced, and sensitivity was taken as evaluation metric. Bagging and boosting ML models were developed by using socio-demographic and clinical information, Mini-Mental State Examination and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) scores (feature-set 1a); socio-demographic characteristics and neuropsychological tests scores (feature-set 1b) and regional magnetic resonance imaging grey matter volumes (feature-set 2). The most relevant variables were combined to find the best model. Results: Good prediction performances were obtained with feature-sets 1a and 2. The most relevant variables (variable importance exceeding 20%) were: Age, GDS, and grey matter volumes measured in four cortical regions of interests. Their combination provided the optimal classification performance (highest sensitivity and specificity) ensemble ML model, Extreme Gradient Boosting with over-sampling of the minority class, with performance metrics: sensitivity = 1.00, specificity = 0.92 and area-under-the-curve = 0.96. The median values based on fifty random train/test splits were sensitivity = 0.83 (interquartile range (IQR) = 0.17), specificity = 0.77 (IQR = 0.23) and area-under-the-curve = 0.75 (IQR = 0.11). Conclusion: A high-performance algorithm that could be translatable into practice was able to predict SCD conversion to MCI/AD by using only six predictive variables.
Autores:
Villarejo-Galende, A.; García-Arcelay, E.; Pinol-Ripoll, G.; et al.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
ISSN:
1387-2877
Año:
2022
Vol.:
90
N°:
2
Págs.:
719 - 726
Background: There is a need to better understand the experience of patients living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) in the early stages. Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the perception of quality of life in patients with early-stage AD. Methods: A multicenter, non-interventional study was conducted including patients of 50-90 years of age with prodromal or mild AD, a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score >= 22, and a Clinical Dementia Rating-Global score (CDR-GS) of 0.5-1.0. The Quality of Life in Alzheimer ' s Disease (QoL-AD) questionnaire was used to assess health-related quality of life. A battery of self-report instruments was used to evaluate different psychological and behavioral domains. Associations between the QoL-AD and other outcome measures were analyzed using Spearman's rank correlations. Results: A total of 149 patients were included. Mean age (SD) was 72.3 (7.0) years and mean disease duration was 1.4 (1.8) years. Mean MMSE score was 24.6 (2.1). The mean QoL-AD score was 37.9 (4.5). Eighty-three percent (n = 124) of patients had moderate-to-severe hopelessness, 22.1% (n = 33) had depressive symptoms, and 36.9% (n = 55) felt stigmatized. The quality of life showed a significant positive correlation with self-efficacy and negative correlations with depression, emotional and practical consequences, stigma, and hopelessness. Conclusion: Stigma, depressive symptoms, and hopelessness are frequent scenarios in AD negatively impacting quality of life, even in a population with short disease duration and minimal cognitive impairment.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
ISSN:
0340-5354
Año:
2021
Vol.:
268
N°:
6
Págs.:
2256 - 2258
Autores:
Frederiksen, K. S. (Autor de correspondencia); Nielsen, T. R. ; Appollonio, I. ; et al.
Revista:
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY
ISSN:
0885-6230
Año:
2021
Vol.:
36
N°:
2
Págs.:
324 - 333
Objectives Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is associated with an increased risk of further cognitive decline, partly depending on demographics and biomarker status. The aim of the present study was to survey the clinical practices of physicians in terms of biomarker counseling, management, and follow-up in European expert centers diagnosing patients with MCI. Methods An online email survey was distributed to physicians affiliated with European Alzheimer's disease Consortium centers (Northern Europe: 10 centers; Eastern and Central Europe: 9 centers; and Southern Europe: 15 centers) with questions on attitudes toward biomarkers and biomarker counseling in MCI and dementia. This included postbiomarker counseling and the process of diagnostic disclosure of MCI, as well as treatment and follow-up in MCI. Results The response rate for the survey was 80.9% (34 of 42 centers) across 20 countries. A large majority of physicians had access to biomarkers and found them useful. Pre- and postbiomarker counseling varied across centers, as did practices for referral to support groups and advice on preventive strategies. Less than half reported discussing driving and advance care planning with patients with MCI. Conclusions The variability in clinical practices across centers calls for better biomarker counseling and better training to improve communication skills. Future initiatives should address the importance of communicating preventive strategies and advance planning.
Revista:
BRAIN SCIENCES
ISSN:
2076-3425
Año:
2021
Vol.:
11
N°:
3
Págs.:
385
Background: Both cerebral vascular disorders and cognitive decline increase in incidence with age. The role of cerebral vascular disease and hemodynamic changes in the development of cognitive deficits is controversial. The objective of this study was to assess the cardiovascular response during cardiac stress testing in neurologically asymptomatic individuals who developed cognitive impairment several years after previous cardiac stress testing. (2) Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent cardiac stress testing between January 2001 and December 2010. Patients were followed up until May 2015, and we selected those who developed cognitive dysfunction including dementia, mild cognitive impairment, and subjective cognitive decline, after the stress test. Heart rate and blood pressure both at rest and at peak exercise, and the mean R-R interval at rest were recorded. For each patient who developed cognitive impairment, we selected one matched control who did not show cognitive decline by the end of the follow-up period. (3) Results: From the cohort of 7224 patients, 371 developed cognitive impairment; of these, 186 (124 men) met the inclusion criteria, and 186 of the other patients were selected as matched controls. During follow-up, cognitive impairment appeared 6.2 +/- 4.7 years after the cardiac stress test. These patients who had subsequently developed cognitive impairment had significantly lower at-rest systolic, diastolic, and mean blood...
Revista:
NEUROLOGIA
ISSN:
0213-4853
Año:
2021
Vol.:
36
N°:
1
Págs.:
88 - 89
Revista:
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS
ISSN:
2051-5960
Año:
2021
Vol.:
9
N°:
1
Págs.:
64
Protein misfolding diseases refer to a variety of disorders that develop as a consequence of the misfolding of proteins in various organs. The etiologies of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease remain unclear, but it seems that type two diabetes and other prediabetic states could contribute to the appearance of the sporadic forms of these diseases. In addition to amylin deposition, other amyloidogenic proteins implicated in the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases could have important roles in the pathogenesis of this disease. As we have previously demonstrated the presence of alpha-synuclein deposits in the pancreas of patients with synucleinopathies, as well as tau and A beta deposits in the pancreatic tissue of Alzheimer's disease patients, we studied the immunoreactivity of amylin, tau and alpha-synuclein in the pancreas of 138 subjects with neurodegenerative diseases or type two diabetes and assessed whether the pancreatic beta-cells of these subjects present cooccurrence of misfolded proteins. Furthermore, we also assessed the pancreatic expression of prion protein (PrP) in these subjects and its interaction, both in the pancreas and brain, with alpha-synuclein, tau, A beta and amylin. Our study shows, for the first time, that along with amylin, pancreatic alpha-synuclein, A beta, PrP and tau may contribute together to the complex pathophysiology of type two diabetes and in the appearance of insulin resistance in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Furthermore, we show that the same mixed pathologies that are observed in the brains of patients with neurodegenerative diseases are also present outside the nervous system. Finally, we provide the first histological evidence of an interaction between PrP and A beta, alpha-synuclein, amylin or tau in the pancreas and locus coeruleus. These findings will shed more light on the common pathological pathways shared by neurodegenerative diseases and type two diabetes, benefiting the exploration of common therapeutic strategies to prevent or treat these devastating amyloid diseases.
Revista:
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY
ISSN:
0966-0410
Año:
2021
Vol.:
29
N°:
4
Págs.:
1030 - 1040
Psychosocial adjustment to a complex and disabling long-term condition like Parkinson¿s disease is a complex, dynamic, cyclical and interactive process. Family caregivers, face multiple challenges that require a significant effort in terms of psychosocial adjustment, which must be considered by healthcare professionals in order to provide a holistic care. The patients¿ self-report version of the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS-SR), which has been validated in Spain for use in Parkinson's disease, is designed to evaluate the psychosocial adjustment of patients. Our purpose was to validate the Spanish PAIS-SR version for caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease. An open, national cross-sectional study with one point-in-time evaluation and retest was carried out in 450 family caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease. Data were collected in Spain from April 2016 to September 2017. The psychometric analysis performed showed that the Spanish version of the PAIS-SR for caregivers presents adequate indicators of reliability, internal and external validity, and is structured according to the seven-domain model proposed by the author of the instrument.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING
ISSN:
1619-7070
Año:
2021
Vol.:
48
N°:
3
Págs.:
947 - 948
Revista:
DIAGNOSTICS
ISSN:
2075-4418
Año:
2020
Vol.:
10
N°:
6
Págs.:
356
Brain positron emission tomography imaging with 18Fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG-PET) has demonstrated utility in suspected autoimmune encephalitis. Visual and/or assisted image reading is not well established to evaluate hypometabolism/hypermetabolism. We retrospectively evaluated patients with autoimmune encephalitis between 2003 and 2018. Patients underwent EEG, brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling and autoantibodies testing. Individual FDG-PET images were evaluated by standard visual reading and assisted by voxel-based analyses, compared to a normal database. For the latter, three different methods were performed: two based on statistical surface projections (Siemens syngo.via Database Comparison, and 3D-SSP Neurostat) and one based on statistical parametric mapping (SPM12). Hypometabolic and hypermetabolic findings were grouped to identify specific patterns. We found six cases with definite diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis. Two cases had anti-LGI1, one had anti-NMDA-R and two anti-CASPR2 antibodies, and one was seronegative.F-18-FDG-PET metabolic abnormalities were present in all cases, regardless of the method of analysis. Medial-temporal and extra-limbic hypermetabolism were more clearly depicted by voxel-based analyses. We found autoantibody-specific patterns in line with the literature. Statistical surface projection (SSP) methods (Neurostat and syngo.via Database Comparison) were more sensitive and localized larger hypermetabolic areas. As it may lead to comparable and accurate results, visual analysis of FDG-PET studies for the diagnosis of autoimmune encephalitis benefits from voxel-based analysis, beyond the approach based on MRI, CSF sample and EEG.
Revista:
NEUROLOGIA
ISSN:
0213-4853
Año:
2020
Vol.:
35
N°:
9
Págs.:
690 - 692
Revista:
BRAIN IMAGING AND BEHAVIOR
ISSN:
1931-7557
Año:
2020
Vol.:
14
N°:
2
Págs.:
436 - 450
Aging leads to cerebral perfusion and functional connectivity changes that have been assessed using various neuroimaging techniques. In addition, a link between these two parameters has been demonstrated in healthy young adults. In this work, we employed arterial spin labeling (ASL) fMRI to measure global and voxel-wise differences in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and intrinsic connectivity contrast (ICC) in the resting state in a group of cognitively normal elderly subjects and a group of cognitively normal young subjects, in order to assess the effects of aging on CBF-ICC coupling, which had not been previously evaluated. Our results showed age-related global and regional CBF decreases in prefrontal mesial areas, lateral frontal regions, insular cortex, lateral parietal areas, precuneus and occipital regions. Subcortically, perfusion was reduced in the medial thalamus and caudate nucleus. ICC was also found reduced with age in prefrontal cortical areas and insular cortex, affecting key nodes of the default mode and salience networks. Areas of ICC and CBF decrease partially overlapped, however, the CBF reduction was more extensive and encompassed more areas. This dissociation was accompanied by a decrease in CBF-ICC coupling. These results suggest that aging leads to a disruption in the relationship between CBF and intrinsic functional connectivity that could be due to neurovascular dysregulation.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
ISSN:
0309-2402
Año:
2020
Vol.:
76
N°:
10
Págs.:
2719 - 2732
Aim To evaluate the effects of a psychoeducational intervention compared with an education programme to strengthen quality of life, psychosocial adjustment, and coping in people with Parkinson's disease and their informal caregivers. Design A quasi-experimental study was performed with repeated measures at baseline, after the intervention and 6 months post-intervention. Methods The study was carried out at seven primary care centres from 2015-2017. A total of 140 people with Parkinson's and 127 informal caregivers were allocated to the experimental and the control groups. The experimental group received a 9-week psychoeducational intervention, whereas the control group received a 5-week education programme. Repeated measures ANOVA were used to test differences in quality of life, psychosocial adjustment, and coping between the experimental and control groups and over time. Results Patients and informal caregivers in both the experimental and control groups showed significantly better psychosocial adjustment at the post-intervention measurement compared with baseline data. We also found significantly greater quality of life in patients and coping skills in caregivers after the end of the interventions in the experimental and control groups. Nevertheless, no significant differences were identified on the outcomes at the 6-month post-intervention measurement. Conclusion The effect of the psychoeducational intervention was not different from the effect of the education programme. The strategies applied in both interventions followed a group approach led by a multidisciplinary team covering information about PD, healthy lifestyles, and social resources. They might be easily sustained in Primary Care to improve care for people with Parkinson's and informal caregivers.
Revista:
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
ISSN:
0885-3185
Año:
2020
Vol.:
35
N°:
11
Págs.:
2009 - 2018
It remains unclear whether the supportive imaging features described in the diagnostic criteria for progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) are suitable for the full clinical spectrum. The aim of the current study was to define and cross-validate the pattern of glucose metabolism in the brain associated with a diagnosis of different PSP variants. A retrospective multicenter cohort study performed on 73 PSP patients who were referred for a fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography PET scan: PSP-Richardson's syndrome, n = 47; PSP-parkinsonian variant, n = 18; and progressive gait freezing, n = 8. In addition, we included 55 healthy controls and 58 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Scans were normalized by global mean activity. We analyzed the regional differences in metabolism between the groups. Moreover, we applied a multivariate analysis to obtain a PSP-related pattern that was cross-validated in independent populations at the individual level. Group analysis showed relative hypometabolism in the midbrain, basal ganglia, thalamus, and frontoinsular cortices and hypermetabolism in the cerebellum and sensorimotor cortices in PSP patients compared with healthy controls and PD patients, the latter with more severe involvement in the basal ganglia and occipital cortices. The PSP-related pattern obtained confirmed the regions described above. At the individual level, the PSP-related pattern showed optimal diagnostic accuracy to distinguish between PSP and healthy controls (sensitivity, 80.4%; specificity, 96.9%) and between PSP and PD (sensitivity, 80.4%; specificity, 90.7%). Moreover, PSP-Richardson's syndrome and PSP-parkinsonian variant patients showed significantly more PSP-related pattern expression than PD patients and healthy controls. The glucose metabolism assessed by fluorodeoxyglucose PET is a useful and reproducible supportive diagnostic tool for PSP-Richardson's syndrome and PSP-parkinsonian variant.
Revista:
NURSING OPEN
ISSN:
2054-1058
Año:
2019
Vol.:
6
N°:
3
Págs.:
1262 - 1268
Aim To report the cross-cultural adaptation and pilot study of the ongoing validation of the Spanish version of the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale with carers of people with Parkinson's disease. Design Cross-cultural adaptation and pilot study with a cross-sectional validation design of the Spanish version of the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale - Carers. Methods Twenty-one carers of people with Parkinson's disease from a Primary Care practice in Spain were recruited and completed the PAIS-Carers, the SF-36 Health Survey, the Brief COPE Inventory and an assessment form. SPSS 23.0 was used to determine viability/acceptability and preliminary aspects of internal consistency of the instrument. Results Five of the seven domains presented floor effect (71.42%), and only one presented ceiling effect (14.28%). The internal consistency of the scale and domains showed acceptable values (over 0.7). The content validity of the Spanish version seemed satisfactory with positive comments in general from participants.
Revista:
ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY
ISSN:
0364-5134
Año:
2019
Vol.:
86
N°:
4
Págs.:
539 - 551
Objective Alzheimer disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia, and although its etiology remains unclear, it seems that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and other prediabetic states of insulin resistance could contribute to the appearance of sporadic AD. As such, we have assessed whether tau and beta-amyloid (A beta) deposits might be present in pancreatic tissue of subjects with AD, and whether amylin, an amyloidogenic protein deposited in the pancreas of T2DM patients, might accumulate in the brain of AD patients. Methods We studied pancreatic and brain tissue from 48 individuals with no neuropathological alterations and from 87 subjects diagnosed with AD. We examined A beta and tau accumulation in the pancreas as well as that of amylin in the brain. Moreover, we performed proximity ligation assays to ascertain whether tau and/or A beta interact with amylin in either the pancreas or brain of these subjects. Results Cytoplasmic tau and A beta protein deposits were detected in pancreatic beta cells of subjects with AD as well as in subjects with a normal neuropathological examination but with a history of T2DM and in a small cohort of control subjects without T2DM. Furthermore, we found amylin deposits in the brain of these subjects, providing histological evidence that amylin can interact with A beta and tau in both the pancreas and hippocampus. Interpretation The presence of both tau and A beta inclusions in pancreatic beta cells, and of amylin deposits in the brain, provides new evidence of a potential overlap in the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of T2DM and AD. ANN NEUROL 2019
Autores:
Pascual, B. (Autor de correspondencia); de Bot, S. T. ; Daniels, M. R.; et al.
Revista:
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NEURORADIOLOGY
ISSN:
0195-6108
Año:
2019
Vol.:
40
N°:
1
Págs.:
199 - 203
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The "ears of the lynx" MR imaging sign has been described in case reports of hereditary spastic paraplegia with a thin corpus callosum, mostly associated with mutations in the spatacsin vesicle trafficking associated gene, causing Spastic Paraplegia type 11 (SPG11). This sign corresponds to long T1 and T2 values in the forceps minor of the corpus callosum, which appears hyperintense on FLAIR and hypointense on T1-weighted images. Our purpose was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the ears of the lynx MR imaging sign for genetic cases compared with common potential mimics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four independent raters, blinded to the diagnosis, determined whether the ears of the lynx sign was present in each of a set of 204 single anonymized FLAIR and T1-weighted MR images from 34 patients with causal mutations associated with SPG11 or Spastic Paraplegia type 15 (SPG15). 34 healthy controls, and 34 patients with multiple sclerosis. RESULTS: The interrater reliability for FLAIR images was substantial (Cohen kappa, 0.66-0.77). For these images, the sensitivity of the ears of the lynx sign across raters ranged from 78.8 to 97.0 and the specificity ranged from 90.9 to 100. The accuracy of the sign, measured by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, ranged from very good (87.1) to excellent (93.9). CONCLUSIONS: The ears of the lynx sign on FLAIR MR imaging is highly specific for the most common genetic subtypes of hereditary spastic paraplegia with a thin corpus callosum. When this sign is present, there is a high likelihood of a genetic mutation, particularly associated with SPG11 or SPG15, even in the absence of a family history.
Revista:
SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA DE ENFERMERIA NEUROLOGICA. REVISTA CIENTIFICA
ISSN:
2013-5246
Año:
2019
Vol.:
49
N°:
January - June 2019
Págs.:
16 - 22
Introduction: Psychosocial adjustment affects the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and his/her family/carers. However, this is not usually addressed in clinical practice. Objective: To evaluate coping skills, psychosocial adjustment and quality of life of patients with PD and their family/carers from a quasiexperiment at baseline time. Method: Quasi-experimental study carried out in Primary Care centres to evaluate the impact of a psychoeducational intervention in contrast with an informative intervention. The sample comprised 80 patients with PD and 80 family carers, divided into a control group and an experimental group. The psychosocial adjustment scale PAIS-SR, the coping scale Brief COPE and the quality of life scales PDQ-39 and SQLC were used in the data collection. The analysis of sociodemographic data and Student's t tests was performed using SPSS 23.0. Results: The patients and family/carers from the control group and the experimental group noticed a mild impairment in their quality of life and some difficulties in their psychosocial adjustment to illness. Both groups used coping skills with a medium-low frequency. Acceptance was the most used coping skill by patients and family/carers. No statistically significant differences were found between the control group and the experimental group. Conclusions: We observed that the quality of life and psychosocial adjustment to their illness was impacted in patients with PD and their family/carers, which could be addressed with psychoeducational interventions focused on developing their coping skills
Autores:
Chincarini, A. (Autor de correspondencia); Peira, E.; Morbelli, S.; et al.
Revista:
NEUROIMAGE. CLINICAL
ISSN:
2213-1582
Background: amyloid-PET reading has been classically implemented as a binary assessment, although the clinical experience has shown that the number of borderline cases is non negligible not only in epidemiological studies of asymptomatic subjects but also in naturalistic groups of symptomatic patients attending memory clinics. In this work we develop a model to compare and integrate visual reading with two independent semi-quantification methods in order to obtain a tracer-independent multi-parametric evaluation. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled three cohorts of cognitively impaired patients submitted to F-18-florbetaben (53 subjects), F-18-flutemetamol (62 subjects), F-18-florbetapir (60 subjects) PET/CT respectively, in 6 European centres belonging to the EADC. The 175 scans were visually classified as positive/negative following approved criteria and further classified with a 5-step grading as negative, mild negative, borderline, mild positive, positive by 5 independent readers, blind to clinical data. Scan quality was also visually assessed and recorded. Semi-quantification was based on two quantifiers: the standardized uptake value (SUVr) and the ELBA method. We used a sigmoid model to relate the grading with the quantifiers. We measured the readers accord and inconsistencies in the visual assessment as well as the relationship between discrepancies on the grading and semi-quantifications. Conclusion: It is possible to construct a map between different tracers and different quantification methods without resorting to ad-hoc acquired cases. We used a 5-level visual scale which, together with a mathematical model, delivered cut-offs and transition regions on tracers that are (largely) independent from the population. All fluorinated tracers appeared to have the same contrast and discrimination ability with respect to the negative-to-positive grading. We validated the integration of both visual reading and different quantifiers in a more robust framework thus bridging the gap between a binary and a user-independent continuous scale.
Revista:
BMC FAMILY PRACTICE
ISSN:
1471-2296
Año:
2018
Vol.:
19
N°:
45
Parkinson's disease progressively limits patients at different levels and as a result family members play a key role in their care. However, studies show lack of an integrative approach in Primary Care to respond to the difficulties and psychosocial changes experienced by them. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of a multidisciplinary psychoeducational intervention focusing on improving coping skills, the psychosocial adjustment to Parkinson's disease and the quality of life in patients and family carers in a Primary Care setting. Methods: This quasi-experimental study with control group and mixed methods was designed to evaluate a multidisciplinary psychoeducational intervention. Based on the study power calculations, 100 people with Parkinson's disease and 100 family carers will be recruited and assigned to two groups. The intervention group will receive the ReNACE psychoeducational intervention. The control group will be given a general educational programme. The study will be carried out in six community-based health centres. The results obtained from the two groups will be collected for evaluation at three time points: at baseline, immediately after the intervention and at 6 months post-intervention. The results will be measured with these instruments: the Quality of Life Scale PDQ-39 for patients and the Scale of Quality of Life of Care-givers SQLC for family carers, and for all participants the Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness scale and the Brief COPE Inventory. Focus groups will be organised with some patients and family carers who will have received the ReNACE psychoeducational intervention and also with the healthcare professionals involved in its development. Discussion: An important gap exists in the knowledge and application of interventions with a psychosocial approach for people with PD and family carers as a whole. This study will promote this comprehensive approach in Primary Care, which will clearly contribute in the existing knowledge and could reduce the burden of PD for patients and family carers, and also in other long-term conditions.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING
ISSN:
0309-2402
Año:
2017
Vol.:
73
N°:
11
Págs.:
2609 - 2621
AIMS:
The aim of this study were: (1) To explore the meaning that coping with Parkinson's disease has for patients and family carers; (2) To suggest the components of an intervention focused on enhancing their coping with the disease.
BACKGROUND:
Adapting to Parkinson's disease involves going through many difficult changes; however, it may improve quality of life in patients and family carers. One of the key aspects for facilitating the psychosocial adjustment to Parkinson's disease is the strengthening of coping skills.
DESIGN:
A sequential explanatory mixed methods study was carried out. Findings from the qualitative phase are presented.
METHODS:
Data were collected in May 2014 through three focus groups: one of people with Parkinson's disease (n = 9), one of family carers (n = 7) and one of healthcare professionals (n = 5). All focus groups were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim and content analysis was independently carried out by two researchers.
FINDINGS:
The participants coincided in highlighting that coping with Parkinson's disease helped the patient and the family carer in their search for balance; and it implied a transformation in their lives. To aid the process of coping with Parkinson's disease, a multifaceted intervention is proposed.
CONCLUSION:
Coping with Parkinson's disease is a complex process for both patients and family carers and it should therefore be considered a standard service in healthcare policies aimed at this group.
Revista:
ATENCION PRIMARIA
ISSN:
0212-6567
Año:
2017
Vol.:
49
N°:
4
Págs.:
214 - 223
Objective: To explore the main psychosocial aspects which have influence on the coping with the disease in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their family carers. Design: An exploratory qualitative study which constitutes the second phase of a mixed methods project. Setting: Multicenter study carried out in Navarre in 2014 in collaboration with Primary Care of Navarre Service of Health-Osasunbidea, Clinica Universidad de Navarra and Navarre Association of Parkinson's patients. Participants: A total of 21 participants: 9 people with PD, 7 family carers and 5 healthcare professionals. Method: Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Focus groups were conducted until a suitable saturation data was achieved. Transcriptions were analysed by 2 researchers through a content analysis. Results: Three aspects that affected how patients and family carers coped with PD were identified: features of the clinical practice; family environment, and disease's acceptance. Taking account of these findings, some strategies which could foster these aspects from primary healthcare are suggested in order to improve the adjustment to the disease in patients and family carers. Conclusions: The healthcare in people with PD should have an integral approach that tackle the symptoms control in patients and also deal with psychosocial aspects that influence on the coping with the disease, in patients and family carers. (C) 2016 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
ISSN:
1387-2877
Año:
2017
Vol.:
58
N°:
2
Págs.:
585 - 595
There is increasing evidence of a vascular contribution to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In some cases, prior work suggests that chronic brain hypoperfusion could play a prime pathogenic role contributing to the accumulation of amyloid-ß,while other studies favor the hypothesis that vascular dysfunction and amyloid pathology are independent, although synergistic, mechanisms contributing to cognitive impairment. Vascular dysfunction can be evaluated by assessing cerebral blood flow impairment. Phase contrast velocity mapping by MRI offers a non-invasive means of quantifying the total inflow of blood to the brain. This quantitative parameter could be a sensitive indicator of vascular disease at early stages of AD. In this work, phase contrast MRI was used to evaluate cerebral hemodynamics in patients with subjective memory complaints, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and mild to moderate AD, and compare them with control subjects. Results showed that blood flow and velocity were decreased in the patients with cognitive dysfunction and the decrease correlated with the degree of cognitive impairment as assessed by means of neuropsychological tests. Total cerebral blood flow measurements were clearly reduced in AD patients, but more importantly appeared to be sensitive enough to distinguish between healthy subjects and those with mild cognitive impairment. A quantitative measurement of total brain blood flow could potentially predict vascular dysfunction and compromised brain perfu
Revista:
QUALITY OF LIFE RESEARCH
ISSN:
0962-9343
Año:
2016
Vol.:
25
N°:
8
Págs.:
1959-1968
Multidisciplinary interventions aimed at improving PD patients' QoL may have more effective outcomes if education about coping skills, and how these can help towards a positive psychosocial adjustment to illness, were included, and targeted not only at patients, but also at informal caregivers.
Revista:
NEUROLOGY: CLINICAL PRACTICE
ISSN:
2163-0402
Año:
2015
Vol.:
5
N°:
3
Págs.:
263-266
Revista:
NEUROLOGÍA (BARCELONA. ED. IMPRESA)
ISSN:
0213-4853
Año:
2015
Vol.:
33
N°:
4
Págs.:
244-253
Early-onset Alzheimer disease (EOAD), which presents in patients younger than 65 years, has frequently been described as having different features from those of late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD). This review analyses the most recent studies comparing the clinical presentation and neuropsychological, neuropathological, genetic, and neuroimaging findings of both types in order to determine whether EOAD and LOAD are different entities or distinct forms of the same entity. We observed consistent differences between clinical findings in EOAD and in LOAD. Fundamentally, the onset of EOAD is more likely to be marked by atypical symptoms, and cognitive assessments point to poorer executive and visuospatial functioning and praxis with less marked memory impairment. Alzheimer-type features will be more dense and widespread in neuropathology studies, with structural and functional neuroimaging showing greater and more diffuse atrophy extending to neocortical areas (especially the precuneus). In conclusion, available evidence suggests that EOAD and LOAD are 2 different forms of a single entity. LOAD is likely to be influenced by ageing-related processes.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING
ISSN:
0962-1067
Año:
2015
Vol.:
24
N°:
17 - 18
Págs.:
2357 - 2367
Findings generated from this concept analysis can raise awareness of Living with chronic illness so that this process could be assessed in a correct and uniform way in the clinical community and improved when needed.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING
ISSN:
1619-7070
Año:
2015
Vol.:
42
N°:
10
Págs.:
1522-9
Patients with a prion disease exhibit a characteristic pattern of brain metabolism presentation in FDG PET imaging. Consequently, in patients with rapidly progressive cognitive impairment, the detection of these patterns in the FDG PET study could orient the diagnosis to a prion disease.
Revista:
CLINICAL NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ISSN:
0363-9762
Año:
2015
Vol.:
40
N°:
9
Págs.:
e441-43
A 70-year-old woman with a history of autoimmune hepatitis and renal cell carcinoma presented with subacute cognitive impairment. A brain MRI revealed mild leukoaraiosis, whereas brain F-FDG PET/CT showed diffuse cerebral hypometabolism that resembled some of the patterns described in limbic encephalitis and neurodegenerative diseases. With the suspicion of autoimmune encephalitis, the patient received immunotherapy with dramatic improvement of cognitive function and metabolic normalization at the 2-month follow-up on brain F-FDG PET/CT. Our results demonstrate that brain F-FDG PET/CT might be a useful tool in the assessment of patients with autoimmune encephalitis.
Revista:
ANALES DEL SISTEMA SANITARIO DE NAVARRA
ISSN:
1137-6627
Año:
2015
Vol.:
38
N°:
1
Págs.:
79-92
La degeneración lobar frontotemporal engloba tres síndromes diferentes, que comparten características clínicas y patológicas comunes, dificultando así su diagnóstico en estadios iniciales. Se incluyen en este grupo las tres variantes de la demencia frontotemporal, el síndrome corticobasal y el síndrome de parálisis supranuclear progresiva. Se ha llevado a cabo una revisión del perfil neuropsicológico de cada uno de los síndromes, que permita clarificar las características fundamentales que los definen y ayudar a diferenciarlos de otras demencias.Se ha hecho una revisión de los diferentes trabajos publicados en la literatura al respecto, describiendo las características clínicas, patológicas y los hallazgos de imagen fundamentales de cada entidad para describir de manera exhaustiva los hallazgos en los diferentes dominios neuropsicológicos y su progresión. Aunque existe un solapamiento entre los síndromes que conforman la degeneración lobar frontotemporal, la comparación del perfil neuropsicológico de las mismas entre sí y frente a otras demencias permite establecer características propias de su perfil neuropsicológico para llevar a cabo un diagnóstico diferencial.
Revista:
MEDICINE (ELSEVIER)
ISSN:
0304-5412
Año:
2015
Vol.:
11
N°:
73
Págs.:
4395-9
The transient loss of consciousness (TLC) is defined as a loss of consciousness abrupt onset, short duration and spontaneous complete recovery. The TLC is a very common cause of medical consultation, especially in the emergency department. Episodes of TLC may be secondary to different entities such as syncope, seizures and functional disorders. In most patients, the TLC is secondary to syncope. However, some studies suggest that up to one in four individuals are wrongly diagnosed as epileptic seizures. This protocol aims to help in the diagnosis of patients with TLC. The various entities that involve TLC will be presented, exploring the elements of the clinical and laboratory tests that may be helpful to reach an accurate diagnosis.
Revista:
JOURNAL OF ALZHEIMERS DISEASE
ISSN:
1387-2877
Año:
2015
Vol.:
44
N°:
1
Págs.:
319-328
Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) are considered a reflection of cerebral and systemic small vessel disease (SVD), and are associated with reductions in brain volume. Like the brain, the kidney is also sensitive to factors that affect vasculature. Glomerular dysfunction due to renal vascular damage can be measured with different biochemical parameters, such as creatinine or cystatin C, although cystatin C is considered to be more accurate than creatinine in the elderly. The purpose of the study was to determine whether manifestations of SVD in the kidney can predict SVD-based damage to the brain. We examined the relationship between glomerular dysfunction as a measure of SVD on WMLs, gray matter (GM) volume, and cognition in 735 cognitively normal participants from the Cardiovascular Health Study Cognition Study. The multivariate analyses controlled for demographic characteristics, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, Apolipoprotein 4 allele, C reactive protein, lipids, physical activity, smoking, and body mass index (BMI). Elevated cystatin C levels were associated with lower neuropsychological test scores, the presence of MRI-identified brain infarcts, the severity of WMLs, and GM atrophy five years later. In adjusted models, GM volume was significantly associated with cystatin-C only until BMI and severity of WMLs were added to the model, meaning that the effect of SVD on GM volume is mediated by these two variables. These findings suggest that age-related SVD is a pr
Revista:
REVISTA CLINICA ESPAÑOLA
ISSN:
0014-2565
Año:
2014
Vol.:
214
N°:
3
Págs.:
e33
Revista:
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
ISSN:
0885-3185
Año:
2014
Vol.:
1
N°:
3
Págs.:
247 - 248
Revista:
NEUROLOGÍA (BARCELONA. ED. IMPRESA)
ISSN:
0213-4853
Año:
2014
Vol.:
30
N°:
3
Págs.:
144 - 152
Introducción
Las prionopatías representan hasta el 62% de los casos de demencia rápidamente progresiva (DRP) en los que se alcanza un diagnóstico definitivo. La variabilidad de los síntomas y signos iniciales y las diferencias en su evolución dificultan el diagnóstico precoz.
Métodos
Estudio retrospectivo en el que se incluye a pacientes con prionopatía probable o definitiva, que acudieron a la consulta de Neurología de nuestro centro durante el periodo 1999-2012. Se describen las características clínicas y los resultados de las exploraciones complementarias (proteína 14-3-3, EEG, RM, PET-FDG y análisis genético), con la finalidad de identificar qué marcadores permiten un diagnóstico precoz.
Resultados
Se describe a 14 pacientes: 6 con enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob esporádica (ECJe) definitiva, 3 con ECJe probable, 4 con insomnio familiar fatal y uno con la nueva variante de la enfermedad de Creutzfeldt-Jakob. La mediana de edad al diagnóstico fue de 54 años y la mediana de supervivencia de 9,5 meses. El trastorno del ánimo fue el síntoma inicial más frecuente, seguido de inestabilidad de la marcha y deterioro cognitivo. La proteína 14-3-3 fue positiva en el líquido cefalorraquídeo en 7 de 11 pacientes y el EEG mostró signos típicos en 2 de 12 pacientes explorados. El estudio de neuroimagen mostró alteraciones en 13 de los 14 pacientes.
Conclusiones
Además de la DRP, el trastorno conductual y de la marcha son síntomas iniciales frecuentes en las prionopatías. En nuestra serie, las pruebas complementarias más útiles para apoyar el diagnóstico fueron la RM y la PET-FDG.
Revista:
ANALES DEL SISTEMA SANITARIO DE NAVARRA
ISSN:
1137-6627
Año:
2014
Vol.:
37
N°:
1
Págs.:
69-80
Revista:
REVISTA DE NEUROLOGIA
ISSN:
0210-0010
Año:
2014
Vol.:
58
N°:
6
Págs.:
241 - 246
Objetivo. Identificar las características clínicas que predicen una respuesta favorable al tratamiento con onabotulinumtoxina A (OnabotA) en pacientes con migraña refractaria.
Pacientes y métodos. Estudio retrospectivo de pacientes con migraña refractaria que recibieron al menos dos infiltraciones de OnabotA entre los años 2008 y 2012. Los pacientes fueron divididos en respondedores y no respondedores a OnabotA y se compararon entre ambos grupos, y de forma retrospectiva, una serie de características clínicas consideradas predictoras de respuesta en estudios previos: localización unilateral de la cefalea, presencia de tensión muscular pericraneal, tipo de dolor (implosivo, explosivo u ocular), tiempo de evolución de la migraña (menor o mayor de 10 años) y abuso de medicación analgésica.
Resultados. Se incluyeron 39 pacientes (35 mujeres) con una edad media de 46 años. En 18 pacientes (46,2%) se observó una reducción mayor del 50% en el número de días de cefalea/mes (pacientes respondedores). Al analizar las diferentes características de la migraña, se observó que todas ellas fueron igualmente prevalentes en los pacientes respondedores y en los no respondedores (p > 0,05): localización unilateral (66,7% frente a 66,6%, respectivamente), dolor implosivo (27,8% frente a 38,1%), presencia de tensión muscular pericraneal (33,3% frente a 38,1%), tiempo de evolución de la migraña mayor de 10 años (77,8% frente a 69,2%) y presencia de abuso de medicación analgésica (50% frente a 81%), Conclusión. En esta serie de pacientes no se ha identificado ningún rasgo clínico que permita predecir en pacientes con migraña refractaria una respuesta favorable al tratamiento con OnabotA.
Revista:
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
ISSN:
0197-4580
Año:
2014
Vol.:
35
N°:
11
Págs.:
2657.e13-e19
Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Rare TREM2 variants have been recently identified in families affected by FTD-like phenotype. However, genetic studies of the role of rare TREM2 variants in FTD have generated conflicting results possibly because of difficulties on diagnostic accuracy. The aim of the present study was to investigate associations between rare TREM2 variants and specific FTD subtypes (FTD-S). The entire coding sequence of TREM2 was sequenced in FTD-S patients of Spanish (n = 539) and German (n = 63) origin. Genetic association was calculated using Fisher exact test. The minor allele frequency for controls was derived from in-house genotyping data and publicly available databases. Seven previously reported rare coding variants (p.A28V, p.W44X, p.R47H, p.R62H, p.T66M, p.T96K, and p.L211P) and 1 novel missense variant (p.A105T) were identified. The p.R47H variant was found in 4 patients with FTD-S. Two of these patients showed cerebrospinal fluid pattern of amyloid beta, tau, and phosphorylated-tau suggesting underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. No association was found between p.R47H and FTD-S. A genetic association was found between p.T96K and FTD-S (p = 0.013, odds ratio = 4.23, 95% Confidence Interval [1.17¿14.77]). All 6 p.T96K patients also carried the TREM2 variant p.L211P, suggesting linkage disequilibrium. The remaining TREM2 variants were found in 1 patient, respectively, and were absent in controls. The present findings provide evidence that p.T96K is associated with FTD-S and that p.L211P may contribute to its pathogenic effect. The data also suggest that p.R47H is associated with an FTD phenotype that is characterized by the presence of underlying AD pathology.
Revista:
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
ISSN:
0969-9961
Año:
2014
Vol.:
62
Págs.:
250-259
Much controversy exists concerning the effect of levodopa on striatal dopaminergic markers in Parkinson's disease (PD) and its influence on functional neuroimaging. To deal with this issue we studied the impact of neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and chronic levodopa administration on striatal (18)F-DOPA uptake (Ki) in an animal model of PD. The levels of several striatal dopaminergic markers and the number of surviving dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) were also assessed. Eleven Macaca fascicularis were included in the study. Eight animals received weekly intravenous injections of MPTP for 7weeks and 3 intact animals served as controls. MPTP-monkeys were divided in two groups. Group I was treated with placebo while Group II received levodopa. Both treatments were maintained for 11months and then followed by a washout period of 6months. (18)F-DOPA positron emission tomography (PET) scans were performed at baseline, after MPTP intoxication, following 11months of treatment, and after a washout period of 1, 3 and 6months. Monkeys were sacrificed 6months after concluding either placebo or levodopa treatment and immediately after the last (18)F-DOPA PET study. Striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) content, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) content and aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) content were assessed. In Group II (18)F-DOPA PET studies performed at 3 and 6months after interrupting levodopa showed a significantly increased Ki in the anterior putamen as compared to Group I. Levodopa and placebo treated animals exhibited a similar number of surviving dopaminergic cells in the SN. Striatal DAT content was equally reduced in both groups of animals. Animals in Group I exhibited a significant decrease in TH protein content in all the striatal regions assessed. However, in Group II, TH levels were significantly reduced only in the anterior and posterior putamen. Surprisingly, in the levodopa-treated animals the TH levels in the posterior putamen were significantly lower than those in the placebo group. AADC levels in MPTP groups were similar to those of control animals in all striatal areas analyzed. This study shows that chronic levodopa administration to monkeys with partial nigrostriatal degeneration followed by a washout period induces modifications in the functional activity of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway.
Autores:
CA Raji; KI Erickson; OL Lopez; et al.
Revista:
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
ISSN:
0749-3797
Año:
2014
Vol.:
47
N°:
4
Págs.:
444-451
Dietary consumption of baked or broiled fish is related to larger gray matter volumes independent of omega-3 fatty acid content. These findings suggest that a confluence of lifestyle factors influence brain health, adding to the growing body of evidence that prevention strategies for late-life brain health need to begin decades earlier.
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND MOLECULAR IMAGING
ISSN:
1619-7070
Año:
2013
Vol.:
10
N°:
9
Págs.:
1394 - 1405
To introduce, evaluate and validate a voxel-based analysis method of F-18-FDG PET imaging for determining the probability of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a particular individual.
The subject groups for model derivation comprised 80 healthy subjects (HS), 36 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who converted to AD dementia within 18 months, 85 non-converter MCI patients who did not convert within 24 months, and 67 AD dementia patients with baseline FDG PET scan were recruited from the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. Additionally, baseline FDG PET scans from 20 HS, 27 MCI and 21 AD dementia patients from our institutional cohort were included for model validation. The analysis technique was designed on the basis of the AD-related hypometabolic convergence index adapted for our laboratory-specific context (AD-PET index), and combined in a multivariable model with age and gender for AD dementia detection (AD score). A logistic regression analysis of different cortical PET indexes and clinical variables was applied to search for relevant predictive factors to include in the multivariable model for the prediction of MCI conversion to AD dementia (AD-Conv score). The resultant scores were stratified into sixtiles for probabilistic diagnosis.
The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the AD score detecting AD dementia in the ADNI database was 0.879, and the observed probability of AD dementia in the six defined groups ranged from 8 % to 100 % in a monotonic trend. For predicting MCI conversion to AD dementia, only the posterior cingulate index, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score and apolipoprotein E4 genotype (ApoE4) exhibited significant independent effects in the univariable and multivariable models. When only the latter two clinical variables were included in the model, the AUC was 0.742 (95 % CI 0.646 - 0.838), but this increased to 0.804 (95 % CI 0.714 - 0.894, bootstrap p = 0.027) with the addition of the posterior cingulate index (AD-Conv score). Baseline clinical diagnosis of MCI showed 29.7 % of converters after 18 months. The observed probability of conversion in relation to baseline AD-Conv score was 75 % in the high probability group (sixtile 6), 34 % in the medium probability group (merged sixtiles 4 and 5), 20 % in the low probability group (sixtile 3) and 7.5 % in the very low probability group (merged sixtiles 1 and 2). In the validation population, the AD score reached an AUC of 0.948 (95 % CI 0.625 - 0.969) and the AD-Conv score reached 0.968 (95 % CI 0.908 - 1.000), with AD patients and MCI converters included in the highest probability categories.
Posterior cingulate hypometabolism, when combined in a multivariable model with age and gender as well as MMSE score and ApoE4 data, improved the determination of the likelihood of patients with MCI converting to AD dementia compared with clinical variables alone. The probabilistic model described here provides a new tool that may aid in the clinical diagnosis of AD and MCI conversion.
Revista:
HEADACHE
ISSN:
0017-8748
Año:
2013
Vol.:
53
N°:
6
Págs.:
994 - 997
Cephalalgia alopecia is a rare and recently described headache syndrome in which recurrent, burning head and neck pain is associated with hair loss from areas of scalp affected by the pain. We here report the case of a 33-year-old woman with continuous unilateral occipital pain and colocalized alopecia, only responsive to onabotulinumtoxin A injections. We hypothesize whether this clinical phenotype may correspond to either cephalalgia alopecia or nummular headache with trophic changes, conditions that might represent 2 manifestations of the same spectrum of disorders.
Revista:
NEUROLOGY
ISSN:
0028-3878
Año:
2013
Vol.:
80
N°:
17
Págs.:
1620
A 77-year-old woman with multiple myeloma for 5 years presented with obtundation, drowsiness, and disorientation over 15 days. Complete blood count revealed thrombocytopenia (25,000/µL). A brain CT disclosed multiple extraaxial hyperdense foci without bone destruction. Differential diagnosis included tumors (meningiomas, leukemia), subdural hematomas, and intracranial hemorrhages; the lesion's multiplicity and morphology were consistent with intracranial extramedullary hematopoiesis (IEH) (figure). Despite platelet transfusions, she died 2 days later of alveolar hemorrhage. Autopsy confirmed IEH and excluded erythropoiesis, reported in subdural hematomas. The formation of blood cells outside the bone marrow is usually related to anemia or lymphoproliferative disorders and is uncommon in multiple myeloma.(1) IEH can cause seizures, hydrocephalus, or cognitive changes.(2.)
Revista:
NEUROLOGIA
ISSN:
0213-4853
Año:
2013
Vol.:
28
N°:
5
Págs.:
299-308
Revista:
Spinal Cord
ISSN:
1362-4393
Año:
2012
Vol.:
50
N°:
8
Págs.:
636 - 637
Revista:
PLOS ONE
ISSN:
1932-6203
In addition to the medium spiny neurons the mammalian striatum contains a small population of GABAergic interneurons that are immunoreactive for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), which dramatically increases after lesions to the nigrostriatal pathway and striatal delivery of neurotrophic factors. The regulatory effect of levodopa (L-Dopa) on the number and phenotype of these cells is less well understood. Eleven macaques (Macaca fascicularis) were included. Group I (n = 4) received 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6 tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and L-Dopa; Group II (n = 4) was treated with MPTP plus vehicle and Group III (n = 3) consist of intact animals (control group). L-Dopa and vehicle were given for 1 year and animals sacrificed 6 months later. Immunohistochemistry against TH was used to identify striatal and nigral dopaminergic cells. Double and triple labeling immunofluorescence was performed to detect the neurochemical characteristics of the striatal TH-ir cells using antibodies against: TH, anti-glutamate decarboxylase (GAD(67)) anti-calretinin (CR) anti-dopa decarboxylase (DDC) and anti-dopamine and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP-32). The greatest density of TH-ir striatal cells was detected in the striatum of the L-Dopa treated monkeys and particularly in its associative territory. None of the striatal TH-ir cell expressed DARPP-32 indicating they are interneurons. The percentages of TH-ir cells that expressed GAD67 and DDC was approximately 50%. Interestingly, we found that in the L-Dopa group the number of TH/CR expressing cells was significantly reduced. We conclude that chronic L-Dopa administration produced a long-lasting increase in the number of TH-ir cells, even after a washout period of 6 months. L-Dopa also modified the phenotype of these cells with a significant reduction of the TH/CR phenotype in favor of an increased number of TH/GAD cells that do not express CR. We suggest that the increased number of striatal TH-ir cells might be involved in the development of aberrant striatal circuits and the appearance of L-Dopa induced dyskinesias.
Autores:
P. Rajagopalan; N Jahanshad; JL Stein; et al.
Revista:
NEUROIMAGE
ISSN:
1053-8119
Año:
2012
Vol.:
1
N°:
1
Págs.:
79-87
A commonly carried C677T polymorphism in a folate-related gene, MTHFR, is associated with higher plasma homocysteine, a well-known mediator of neuronal damage and brain atrophy. As homocysteine promotes brain atrophy, we set out to discover whether people carrying the C677T MTHFR polymorphism which increases homocysteine, might also show systematic differences in brain structure. Using tensor-based morphometry, we tested this association in 359 elderly Caucasian subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (mean age: 75 ± 7.1 years) scanned with brain MRI and genotyped as part of Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. We carried out a replication study in an independent, non-overlapping sample of 51 elderly Caucasian subjects with MCI (mean age: 76 ± 5.5 years), scanned with brain MRI and genotyped for MTHFR, as part of the Cardiovascular Health Study. At each voxel in the brain, we tested to see where regional volume differences were associated with carrying one or more MTHFR 'T' alleles. In ADNI subjects, carriers of the MTHFR risk allele had detectable brain volume deficits, in the white matter, of up to 2-8% per risk T allele locally at baseline and showed accelerated brain atrophy of 0.5-1.5% per T allele at 1 year follow-up, after adjusting for age and sex. We replicated these brain volume deficits of up to 5-12% per MTHFR T allele in the independent cohort of CHS subjects. As expected, the associations weakened after controlling for homocysteine levels, which th
Revista:
REVISTA DE NEUROLOGIA
ISSN:
0210-0010
Año:
2012
Vol.:
54
N°:
12
Págs.:
705-11
Aim. To analyse our experience in the treatment of refractory chronic migraine, episodic frequent refractory migraine (>= 10 days/month), with onabotulinumtoxin A (OnabotA). Patients and methods. Retrospective analysis of patients with refractory migraine who underwent, at least two sessions of OnabotA pericranial injections following the PREEMPT protocol between 2008 and 2012. The efficacy of OnabotA was evaluated comparing the basal situation with 12-16 weeks after the second session. We analysed the subjective improvement of the patients, number of days with headache, preventive and abortive drugs consumption, and adverse effects. Results. Forty-one patients (37 women, 4 male) were identified. 65.8% patients experienced subjective improvement after OnabotA treatment. 36.58% responded (reduction of > 50% in headache days). Differences between days with headache before the first session (24.5 +/- 7.3), and 12-16 weeks after the second session (17.4 +/- 11.6), as well as the differences between the number of abortive drugs taken before the first session (26.8 +/- 23.1) and 12-16 weeks after the second session (16.7 +/- 19.3), were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Subgroups analysis showed that all differences were significant, except for the reduction of the number of days with headache in patients with episodic frequent refractory migraine. Conclusion. Our work shows that treatment with OnabotA is safe and useful in patients with episodic and chronic refractory migraine, including those patients with medication overuse headache.
Revista:
REVISTA DE NEUROLOGIA
ISSN:
0210-0010
Año:
2012
Vol.:
55
N°:
4
Págs.:
253 - 254
Revista:
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
ISSN:
0340-5354
Año:
2012
Vol.:
259
N°:
12
Págs.:
2755-7
Revista:
SOCIEDAD ESPAÑOLA DE ENFERMERIA NEUROLOGICA. REVISTA CIENTIFICA
ISSN:
2013-5246
Año:
2012
Vol.:
36
N°:
1
Págs.:
31 - 38
ICS Introducción: En la bibliografía hay un vacío relacionado con la perspectiva holística del proceso de integración de la enfermedad de Parkinson en las vidas de pacientes y familiares.
Objetivo: Explorar el proceso de convivencia con la enfermedad de Parkinson de pacientes y familiares, así como los factores y los mecanismos que lo favorecen o inhiben.
Método: El proyecto ReNACE es un proyecto con metodología combinada, multicéntrico y multidisciplinario, de 3 años de duración, que consta de 2 fases (cualitativa y cuantitativa), realizado en la Clínica Universidad de Navarra, un centro de Salud del Servicio Navarro de Salud-Osasunbidea y la Asociación Navarra de Parkinson. Se presentan resultados preliminares de la Fase I Cualitativa. Se han recogido datos con entrevistas semiestructuradas, hojas sociodemográficas y escalas (estadio Parkinson). Se ha realizado un análisis de contenido comparativo (programa NVivo9) y un análisis estadístico (SPSS 15.0).
Resultados: Participaron 15 pacientes con enfermedad de Parkinson y 16 familiares. Su mediana y rango intercuartil de edad eran de 73 (65¿76,25) y 65 (59,5¿74) años, respectivamente. En el proceso de adaptación al Parkinson, se destacan dos etapas dinámicas: 1) etapa extraordinaria, y 2) etapa de normalidad. Los principales factores y mecanismos que influían en la convivencia con el Parkinson eran: las estrategias de afrontamiento, el apoyo familiar, las redes personales y sociales, los recursos disponibles, así como la educ
Revista:
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY NEUROSURGERY AND PSYCHIATRY
ISSN:
0022-3050
Año:
2012
Vol.:
83
N°:
2
Págs.:
235 - 236
Revista:
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLGY
ISSN:
1664-2295
Año:
2011
Vol.:
2
Págs.:
46
Revista:
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY NEUROSURGERY AND PSYCHIATRY
ISSN:
0022-3050
Año:
2011
Vol.:
82
N°:
5
Págs.:
475
Autores:
Riverol, M.; Slachevsky and Oscar, Andrea; López, L.
Revista:
THE EUROPEAN NEUROLOGICAL JOURNAL
ISSN:
2041-8000
Revista:
CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROLOGY
ISSN:
1350-7540
Año:
2011
Vol.:
24
N°:
6
Págs.:
532 -541
Revista:
MEDICINE (ELSEVIER)
ISSN:
0304-5412
Año:
2011
Vol.:
10
N°:
73
Págs.:
4937 - 4943
Revista:
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
ISSN:
1351-5101
Año:
2010
Vol.:
17
N°:
2
Págs.:
321 - 325