RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and EEG-guided neurofeedback techniques can reduce motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the effects of their combination are unknown. Our objective was to determine the immediate and short-term effects on motor and non-motor symptoms, and neurophysiological measures, of rTMS and EEG-guided neurofeedback, alone or combined, compared to no intervention, in people with PD. METHODS: A randomized, single-blinded controlled trial with 4 arms was conducted. Group A received eight bilateral, high-frequency (10 Hz) rTMS sessions over the Primary Motor Cortices; Group B received eight 30-minute EEG-guided neurofeedback sessions focused on reducing average bilateral alpha and beta bands; Group C received a combination of A and B; Group D did not receive any therapy. The primary outcome measure was the UPDRS-III at post-intervention and two weeks later. Secondary outcomes were functional mobility, limits of stability, depression, health-related quality-of-life and cortical silent periods. Treatment effects were obtained by longitudinal analysis of covariance mixed-effects models. RESULTS: Forty people with PD participated (27 males, age = 63 ± 8.26 years, baseline UPDRS-III = 15.63 ± 6.99 points, H&Y = 1-3). Group C showed the largest effect on motor symptoms, health-related quality-of-life and cortical silent periods, followed by Group A and Group B. Negligible differences between Groups A-C and Group D for functional mobility or limits of stability were found. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of rTMS and EEG-guided neurofeedback diminished overall motor symptoms and increased quality-of-life, but this was not reflected by changes in functional mobility, postural stability or depression levels. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04017481.
Assuntos
Eletroencefalografia , Neurorretroalimentação , Doença de Parkinson , Estimulação Magnética Transcraniana , Humanos , Doença de Parkinson/terapia , Doença de Parkinson/reabilitação , Doença de Parkinson/complicações , Masculino , Feminino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estimulação Magnética Transcraniana/métodos , Neurorretroalimentação/métodos , Idoso , Eletroencefalografia/métodos , Método Simples-Cego , Resultado do Tratamento , Córtex Motor/fisiologia , Córtex Motor/fisiopatologia , Qualidade de VidaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: We aimed to assess the effects of safinamide on depression, motor symptoms, and the serotonin syndrome related to its co-administration with antidepressants in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients at 1 and 3 months of follow-up compared to baseline. RESULTS: n = 82 (safinamide 50 mg = 22, 100 mg = 60, with antidepressants = 44). First, we found improvement in depression (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale: -6 ± 5.10 at 1 month and -7.27 ± 5.10 at 3 months, p < 0.0001; Patient Global Impression of Improvement Scale: 60.3% and 69.5% of patients at 1 and 3 months reported some improvement). Second, safinamide improved the daily life activities and motor symptoms/motor complications (Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS-II): -2.51 ± 6.30 and -2.47 ± 6.11 at 1 and 3 months, p < 0.0001; III: -3.58 ± 8.68 and -4.03 ± 8.95 at 1 and 3 months, p < 0.0001; IV: -0.61 ± 2.61 and -0.8 ± 2.53 at 1 and 3 months, p < 0.0001). Third, 7.31% and 8.53% of patients developed non-severe adverse events related to safinamide at 1 and 3 months. Serotonin syndrome was not observed in the patients treated with antidepressants; some isolated serotonin syndrome symptoms were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Safinamide could be useful for treating depression in PD; it was effective for motor symptoms and motor complications and safe even when co-administered with antidepressants.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are known to suffer from subtle cognitive and balance deficits from the early stages although they usually manifest in advanced stages. Postural instability (PI) has been correlated with slower information processing speed. Simple reaction time (SRT) tasks can be used to measure the speed of information processing. The main objective of this study was to examine the usefulness of SRT as a valid predictor of balance in PD, thus providing a simple and complementary assessment method. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 52 PD patients without dementia who were evaluated for balance using the pull test (PT) maneuver and Biodex® limits of stability (LOS). In addition, a reaction time task was used to measure processing speed. Correlation and linear regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: The performance of SRT tasks was correlated with the evaluation of LOS% and PT, suggesting that the SRT may be a predictor of balance performance. Longer reaction time and poorer postural stability were also associated with disease duration but not with age. CONCLUSIONS: Poor performance in a simple reaction task can predict altered PI and can complement staging and evaluation in PD patients.
RESUMO
The dyskinesia-hyperpyrexia syndrome is a rare complication of Parkinson disease. Here, we present an exceptional case affected by this syndrome. Its singularity is 2-fold. On one hand, the patient presented periodic episodes of dyskinesia-hyperpyrexia during 3 consecutive summers. On the other, after unsuccessfully trying several therapies, she had an excellent response to an infusion of enteral L-dopa. Both features allow us to hypothesize that this complication is central in origin and propose a new potential mean of treating future refractory cases.
Assuntos
Discinesia Induzida por Medicamentos/etiologia , Temperatura Alta/efeitos adversos , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Contagem de Leucócitos , Levodopa/efeitos adversos , Doença de Parkinson/dietoterapiaRESUMO
α-Synuclein inclusions have been identified in the brain and some parts of the enteric nervous system in Parkinson's disease cases. We aimed to assess these inclusions in gastric mucosa samples from patients with symptomatic Parkinson's disease. Random biopsies were performed by gastroscopy in 28 patients with Parkinson's disease and in 29 age- and sex-matched controls. Gastroscopy was performed to start enteral levodopa (L-dopa) therapy in cases and for diagnostic purposes in controls (gastroesophageal reflux, anemia, and abdominal pain were the main indications). The clinical definition of cases and controls was made a priori. Six controls had data suggestive of "mild presymptomatic parkinsonism". Biopsy specimens were immunostained for α-synuclein. The neuropathological diagnosis was established post hoc. No differences were found in the baseline characteristics of the groups. Positive fibers for the α-synuclein protein were observed in 17 of 28 (60.7%) Parkinson's disease patients, 1 of 23 controls (4.3%), and 1 of 6 (16.7%) cases of incident "mild presymptomatic parkinsonism." Neuropathological diagnosis based on α-synuclein immunostaining showed a sensitivity of 85% (95% confidence interval [CI] 62.1-96.8), specificity of 95% (95% CI 76.2-99.9) and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) of 0.90 (95% CI 0.80-1.00). No adverse events occurred. Detection of α-synuclein inclusions in the gastric mucosa is a useful and safe tool providing in vivo evidence of the underlying neurodegenerative peripheral involvement linked to Parkinson's disease. Further studies are warranted to determine its pathophysiological implications.