Enhancing Quality of Life in Indian Parkinson's Disease Patients with Improved Measurement of Psychological Domains: A Perspective.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common progressive neuro-degenerative disorder. Research in PD is gradually increasing in India due to increased clinical cases, which could double by 2030 worldwide. Although its prevalence is low in India as compared to other countries, the total burden is much higher due to the large population size. PD is progressively debilitating, with pronounced motor and nonmotor symptoms (NMSs) that severely affect the quality of life (QoL) of patients and their caregivers. The progressive nature of the disease lays great emphasis on doctors to focus on the patients' QoL. As a consequence, Health-related QoL (HRQoL) has gradually become one of the main indicators for assessing health-related outcome. There is a growing need to pay attention to the NMSs and a pressing need to look at the QoL of Indian patients with PD through a culture and value specific lens. Research into the holistic QoL assessment with emphasis on psychological domains may allow for the early evaluation and intervention of depressive and cognitive symptoms in PD. This could result into increased productivity, reduced morbidity, and healthcare cost, which would in turn result into better QoL of Indian PD patients.

Cortico-hippocampal salvage in chronic aluminium induced neurodegeneration by Celastrus paniculatus seed oil: Neurobehavioural, biochemical, histological study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of Celastrus paniculatus seed oil in preventing the onset of chronic aluminum induced cortico-hippocampal neurodegeneration and oxidative stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An animal model of senile dementia of Alzheimer's type was produced by administering aluminum as aluminum chloride (4.2 mg/kg) intraperitoneally to male Wistar rats for 60 days and results compared to untreated control. Neurobehavioral investigations of Morris water maze tests, passive avoidance test, rotarod test and biochemical estimations of acetylcholineterase, malondialdehyde, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, superoxide dismutase, and hemoglobin in blood were performed fortnightly which gauged the extent of global oxidative stress and progressive neural damage. Findings were fortified by the above enzyme assays and histology of brain at necropsy. Prophylactic oral C. paniculatus in two doses 0.5 ml and 1 ml, were given to animals and the results were analyzed in comparison to a similar rodent model with standard drug donepezil (0.5 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. RESULTS: C. paniculatus showed a significant prevention in onset of aluminum induced neural insult and overall systemic oxidative stress which was corroborated by the enlisted neurobehavioral, biochemical, and histological evidence. CONCLUSION: C. paniculatus is a putative decelerator of Al-mediated Alzheimer's like pathobiology.