Parkinsonism originates in a discrete secondary and dystonia in a primary motor cortical-basal ganglia subcircuit.

Although manifesting contrasting phenotypes, Parkinson's disease and dystonia, the two most common movement disorders, can originate from similar pathophysiology. Previously, we demonstrated that lesioning (silencing) of a discrete dorsal region in the globus pallidus (rodent equivalent to globus pallidus externa) in rats and produced parkinsonism, while lesioning a nearby ventral hotspot-induced dystonia. Presently, we injected fluorescent-tagged multi-synaptic tracers into these pallidal hotspots (n = 36 Long Evans rats) and permitted 4 days for the viruses to travel along restricted connecting pathways and reach the motor cortex before sacrificing the animals. Viral injections in the Parkinson's hotspot fluorescent labeled a circumscribed region in the secondary motor cortex, while injections in the dystonia hotspot labeled within the primary motor cortex. Custom probability mapping and N200 staining affirmed the segregation of the cortical territories for Parkinsonism and dystonia to the secondary and primary motor cortices. Intracortical microstimulation localized territories specifically to their respective rostral and caudal microexcitable zones. Parkinsonian features are thus explained by pathological signaling within a secondary motor subcircuit normally responsible for initiation and scaling of movement, while dystonia is explained by abnormal (and excessive) basal ganglia signaling directed at primary motor corticospinal transmission.

Volumetric alterations in the basal ganglia in autism Spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Recent research indicates that some brain structures show alterations in conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Among them, are the basal ganglia that are involved in motor, cognitive and behavioral neural circuits. OBJECTIVE: Review the literature that describes possible volumetric alterations in the basal ganglia of individuals with ASD and the impacts that these changes have on the severity of the condition. METHODOLOGY: This systematic review was registered in the design and reported according to the PRISMA Items and registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023394787). The study analyzed data from published clinical, case-contemplate, and cohort trials. The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, using the Medical Subject Titles (MeSH) "Autism Spectrum Disorder" and "Basal Ganglia". The last search was carried out on February 28, 2023. RESULTS: Thirty-five eligible articles were collected, analyzed, and grouped according to the levels of alterations. CONCLUSION: The present study showed important volumetric alterations in the basal ganglia in ASD. However, the examined studies have methodological weaknesses that do not allow generalization and correlation with ASD manifestations.

Microglia activity in the human basal ganglia is altered in alcohol use disorder and reversed with remission from alcohol.

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by cycles of abuse, withdrawal, and relapse. Neuroadaptations in the basal ganglia are observed in AUD; specifically in the putamen, globus pallidus (GP), and ventral pallidum (VP). These regions are associated with habit formation, drug-seeking behaviors, and reward processing. While previous studies have shown the crucial role of glial cells in drug seeking, it remains unknown whether glial cells in the basal ganglia are altered in AUD. Glial cells in the putamen, GP, and VP were examined in human post-mortem tissue of AUD and alcohol remission cases. Immunohistochemistry was performed to analyze cell count, staining intensity, and morphology of microglia and astrocytes, using markers Iba-1 and GFAP. Morphological analysis revealed a significant decrease in microglia cell size and process retraction, indicating activation or a dystrophic microglia phenotype in individuals with AUD compared to controls. Microglia staining intensity was also higher in the GP and VP in AUD cases, whereas microglia staining intensity and cell size in remission cases were not different to control cases. In contrast, no astrocyte changes were observed in examined brain regions for both AUD and remission cases compared to controls. These results suggest alcohol exposure alters microglia, potentially contributing to dysfunctions in the basal ganglia that maintain addiction, and abstinence from alcohol may reverse microglia changes and associated dysfunctions. Overall, this study further characterizes AUD neuropathology and implicates microglia in the putamen, GP, and VP as a potential target for therapy.

Longitudinal Associations of Magnetic Susceptibility with Clinical Severity in Parkinson's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Dementia is common in Parkinson's disease (PD), but there is wide variation in its timing. A critical gap in PD research is the lack of quantifiable markers of progression, and methods to identify early stages of dementia. Atrophy-based magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has limited sensitivity in detecting or tracking changes relating to PD dementia, but quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), sensitive to brain tissue iron, shows potential for these purposes. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the paper is to study, for the first time, the longitudinal relationship between cognition and QSM in PD in detail. METHODS: We present a longitudinal study of clinical severity in PD using QSM, including 59 PD patients (without dementia at study onset), and 22 controls over 3 years. RESULTS: In PD, increased baseline susceptibility in the right temporal cortex, nucleus basalis of Meynert, and putamen was associated with greater cognitive severity after 3 years; and increased baseline susceptibility in basal ganglia, substantia nigra, red nucleus, insular cortex, and dentate nucleus was associated with greater motor severity after 3 years. Increased follow-up susceptibility in these regions was associated with increased follow-up cognitive and motor severity, with further involvement of hippocampus relating to cognitive severity. However, there were no consistent increases in susceptibility over 3 years. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that QSM may predict changes in cognitive severity many months prior to overt cognitive involvement in PD. However, we did not find robust longitudinal changes in QSM over the course of the study. Additional tissue metrics may be required together with QSM for it to monitor progression in clinical practice and therapeutic trials. © 2024 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Towards therapeutic electrophysiological neurofeedback in Parkinson's disease.

Neurofeedback (NF) techniques support individuals to self-regulate specific features of brain activity, which has been shown to impact behavior and potentially ameliorate clinical symptoms. Electrophysiological NF (epNF) may be particularly impactful for patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), as evidence mounts to suggest a central role of pathological neural oscillations underlying symptoms in PD. Exaggerated beta oscillations (12-30 Hz) in the basal ganglia-cortical network are linked to motor symptoms (e.g., bradykinesia, rigidity), and beta is reduced by successful therapy with dopaminergic medication and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). PD patients also experience non-motor symptoms related to sleep, mood, motivation, and cognitive control. Although less is known about the mechanisms of non-motor symptoms in PD and how to successfully treat them, low frequency neural oscillations (1-12 Hz) in the basal ganglia-cortical network are particularly implicated in non-motor symptoms. Here, we review how cortical and subcortical epNF could be used to target motor and non-motor specific oscillations, and potentially serve as an adjunct therapy that enables PD patients to endogenously control their own pathological neural activities. Recent studies have demonstrated that epNF protocols can successfully support volitional control of cortical and subcortical beta rhythms. Importantly, this endogenous control of beta has been linked to changes in motor behavior. epNF for PD, as a casual intervention on neural signals, has the potential to increase understanding of the neurophysiology of movement, mood, and cognition and to identify new therapeutic approaches for motor and non-motor symptoms.

Frequency of Cerebellar Abnormalities Associated With the Differing Magnetic Resonance Imaging Patterns of Term Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury in Children.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to determine the frequency of cerebellar injury using delayed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in children with cerebral palsy, diagnosed with term hypoxic-ischemic injury (HII), and to characterize this for the different MRI patterns of HII. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed delayed MRI scans in children with cerebral palsy, of whom 1175 had term HII. The pattern of HII was classified into basal ganglia-thalamus (BGT) pattern, watershed (WS) pattern, combined BGT/WS, and multicystic HII. Cerebellar location (hemisphere versus vermis) and the MRI characteristics were documented overall and for each of the different patterns of HII, as well as the association with thalamic injury. RESULTS: Cerebellar injury was found in 252 of 1175 (21.4%) (median age 6 years [interquartile range: 3 to 9 years]). Of these, 49% (124 of 252) were associated with a BGT pattern, 13% (32 of 252) with a WS pattern, 28% (72 of 252) with a combined BGT/WS pattern, and 10% (24 of 252) with a multicystic pattern. The vermis was abnormal in 83% (209 of 252), and the hemispheres were abnormal in 34% (86 of 252) (with 17% [43 of 252] showing both vermis and hemispheric abnormality). CONCLUSIONS: Over a fifth of patients with cerebral palsy due to HII had a cerebellar abnormality on delayed MRI, most commonly involving the vermis (83%), and as part of a BGT pattern of injury in just under half of these likely reflecting the association of cerebellar vermis injury with profound insults.

Association between the Putative Meningeal Lymphatics at the Posterior Wall of the Sigmoid Sinus and Delayed Contrast-agent Elimination from the Cerebrospinal Fluid.

PURPOSE: To investigate the characteristics of the putative meningeal lymphatics located at the posterior wall of the sigmoid sinus (PML-PSS) in human subjects imaged before and after intravenous administration (IV) of a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA). The appearance of the PML-PSS and the enhancement of the perivascular space of the basal ganglia (PVS-BG) were analyzed for an association with gender, age, and clearance of the GBCA from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). METHODS: Forty-two patients with suspected endolymphatic hydrops were included. Heavily T2-weighted 3D-fluid attenuated inversion recovery (hT2w-3D-FLAIR) and 3D-real inversion recovery (IR) images were obtained at pre-administration, immediately post-administration, and at 4 and 24 hours after IV-GBCA. The appearance of the PML-PSS and the presence of enhancement in the PVS-BG were analyzed for a relationship with age, gender, contrast enhancement of the CSF at 4 hours after IV-GBCA, and the washout ratio of the GBCA in the CSF from 4 to 24 hours after IV-GBCA. RESULTS: The PML-PSS and PVS-BG were seen in 23 of 42 and 21 of 42 cases, respectively, at 4 hours after IV-GBCA. In all PML-PSS positive cases, hT2w-3D-FLAIR signal enhancement was highest at 4 hours after IV-GBCA. A multivariate analysis between gender, age, CSF signal elevation at 4 hours, and washout ratio indicated that only the washout ratio was independently associated with the enhancement of the PML-PSS or PVS-BG. The odds ratios (95% CIs; P value) were 4.09 × 10-5 (2.39 × 10-8 - 0.07; 0.0078) for the PML-PSS and 1.7 × 10-4 (1.66 × 10-7 - 0.174; 0.014) for the PVS-BG. CONCLUSION: The PML-PSS had the highest signal enhancement at 4 hours after IV-GBCA. When the PML-PSS was seen, there was also often enhancement of the PVS-BG at 4 hours after IV-GBCA. Both observed enhancements were associated with delayed GBCA excretion from the CSF.

Persistent basal ganglia involvement in aminoacylase-1 deficiency: expanding imaging findings and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Aminoacylase-1 deficiency (ACY1D) is an autosomal recessive rare inborn error of metabolism, which is caused by disease-causing variants in the ACY1. This disorder is characterized by increased urinary excretion of specific N-acetyl amino acids. Affected individuals demonstrate heterogeneous clinical manifestations which are primarily neurologic problems. In neuroimaging, corpus callosum hypoplasia, cerebellar vermis atrophy, and delayed myelination of cerebral white matter have been reported. AIMS: Finding disease-causing variant and expanding imaging findings in a patient with persistent basal ganglia involvement. METHODS: Whole-exome sequencing was performed in order to identify disease-causing variants in an affected 5-year-old male patient who presented with neurologic regression superimposed on neurodevelopmental delay following a febrile illness. He had inability to walk, cognitive impairment, speech delay, febrile-induced seizures, truncal hypotonia, moderate to severe generalized dystonia, and recurrent metabolic decompensation. RESULTS: All metabolic tests were normal except for a moderate metabolic acidosis following febrile illnesses. The results of serial brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at ages 1 and 4.5 years revealed persistent bilateral and symmetric abnormal signals in basal ganglia mainly caudate and globus pallidus nuclei with progression over time in addition to a mild supratentorial atrophy. A homozygous missense variant [NM_000666.3: c.1057C>T; p.(Arg353Cys)] was identified in the ACY1, consistent with aminoacylase-1 deficiency. Variant confirmation in patient and segregation analysis in his family were performed using Sanger sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings expanded the phenotype spectrum of ACY1-related neurodegeneration by demonstrating persistent basal ganglia involvement and moderate to severe generalized dystonia.

Multisystem pathology in McLeod syndrome.

We present a comprehensive characterization of clinical, neuropathological, and multisystem features of a man with genetically confirmed McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome, including video and autopsy findings. A 61-year-old man presented with a movement disorder and behavioral change. Examination showed dystonic choreiform movements in all four limbs, reduced deep-tendon reflexes, and wide-based gait. He had oromandibular dyskinesia causing severe dysphagia. Elevated serum creatinine kinase (CK) was first noted in his thirties, but investigations, including muscle biopsy at that time, were inconclusive. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed white matter volume loss, atrophic basal ganglia, and chronic small vessel ischemia. Despite raised CK, electromyography did not show myopathic changes. Exome gene panel testing was negative, but targeted genetic analysis revealed a hemizygous pathogenic variant in the XK gene c.895C > T p.(Gln299Ter), consistent with a diagnosis of McLeod syndrome. The patient died of sepsis, and autopsy showed astrocytic gliosis and atrophy of the basal ganglia, diffuse iron deposition in the putamen, and mild Alzheimer's pathology. Muscle pathology was indicative of mild chronic neurogenic atrophy without overt myopathic features. He had non-specific cardiomyopathy and splenomegaly. McLeod syndrome is an ultra-rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by X-linked recessive mutations in the XK gene. Diagnosis has management implications since patients are at risk of severe transfusion reactions and cardiac complications. When a clinical diagnosis is suspected, candidate genes should be interrogated rather than solely relying on exome panels.

Association between substantia nigra degeneration and functional outcome in patients with basal ganglia infarction.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebral infarction in the basal ganglia may cause secondary and delayed neuronal degeneration in the substantia nigra (SN). However, the clinical significance of SN degeneration remains poorly understood. METHODS: This retrospective observational study included patients with acute ischemic stroke in the basal ganglia on initial diffusion-weighted imaging who underwent follow-up diffusion-weighted imaging between 4 and 30 days after symptom onset. SN degeneration was defined as a hyperintensity lesion in the SN observed on diffusion-weighted imaging. We compared functional outcomes at 3 months between patients with and without SN degeneration. A poor outcome was defined as a score of 3-6 (functional dependence or death) on the modified Rankin Scale. RESULTS: Of 350 patients with basal ganglia infarction (median age = 74.0 years, 53.7% male), 125 (35.7%) had SN degeneration. The proportion of functional dependence or death was 79.2% (99/125 patients) in patients with SN degeneration, which was significantly higher than that in those without SN degeneration (56.4%, 127/225 patients, p < 0.001). SN degeneration was more frequent in patients with functional dependence or death (99/226 patients, 43.8%) than in those with functional independence (26/124 patients, 21.0%, p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between SN degeneration and functional dependence or death (odds ratio = 2.91, 95% confidence interval = 1.17-7.21, p = 0.021). CONCLUSIONS: The study showed that patients with degeneration of SN were associated with functional dependence or death at 3 months, suggesting that secondary degeneration is a predictor of poor stroke outcomes and a potential therapeutic target.

Roles of the cerebellum and basal ganglia in temporal integration: Insights from a synchronized tapping task.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to clarify the roles of the cerebellum and basal ganglia for temporal integration. METHODS: We studied 39 patients with spinocerebellar degeneration (SCD), comprising spinocerebellar atrophy 6 (SCA6), SCA31, Machado-Joseph disease (MJD, also called SCA3), and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Thirteen normal subjects participated as controls. Participants were instructed to tap on a button in synchrony with isochronous tones. We analyzed the inter-tap interval (ITI), synchronizing tapping error (STE), negative asynchrony, and proportion of delayed tapping as indicators of tapping performance. RESULTS: The ITI coefficient of variation was increased only in MSA patients. The standard variation of STE was larger in SCD patients than in normal subjects, especially for MSA. Negative asynchrony, which is a tendency to tap the button before the tones, was prominent in SCA6 and MSA patients, with possible basal ganglia involvement. SCA31 patients exhibited normal to supranormal performance in terms of the variability of STE, which was surprising. CONCLUSIONS: Cerebellar patients generally showed greater STE variability, except for SCA31. The pace of tapping was affected in patients with possible basal ganglia pathology. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that interaction between the cerebellum and the basal ganglia is essential for temporal processing. The cerebellum and basal ganglia and their interaction regulate synchronized tapping, resulting in distinct tapping pattern abnormalities among different SCD subtypes.

Unequal Cerebral Magnetic Resonance Imaging Changes in Perinatal Hypoxic Ischemic Injury of Term Neonates.

BACKGROUND: Perinatal hypoxic ischemic injury (HII) has a higher prevalence in the developing world. One of the primary concepts for suggesting that an imaging pattern reflects a global insult to the brain is when the injury is noted to be bilateral and symmetric in distribution. In the context of HII in term neonates, this is either bilateral symmetric ( a ) peripheral/watershed (WS) injury or ( b ) bilateral symmetric basal-ganglia-thalamus (BGT) pattern, often with the peri-Rolandic and hippocampal injury. Unilateral, asymmetric, or unequal distribution of injury may therefore be misdiagnosed as perinatal arterial ischemic stroke. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the prevalence of unequal cerebral injury in HII, identify patterns, and determine their relationship with existing classification of HII. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Review of brain magnetic resonance imaging from a database of children with HII. Reports with any unequal pattern of injury were included and further classified as a unilateral, bilateral asymmetric, or symmetric but unequal degree pattern of HII. RESULTS: A total of 1213 MRI scans in patients with a diagnosis of HII revealed 156 (13%) with unequal involvement of the hemispheres: unilateral in 2 of 1213 (0.2%) (involvement only in the WS), asymmetric in 48 of 1213 (4%) (WS in 6 [0.5%], BGT in 4 [0.3%], and combined BGT and WS in 38 [3.1%]), and bilateral symmetric but unequal degree in 106 of 1213 (8.7%) (WS in 20 [1.6%], BGT in 17 [1.4%], and combined BGT and WS in 69 [5.7%]). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of children with cerebral palsy due to HII demonstrate a characteristic bilateral symmetric pattern of injury. In our study, 13% demonstrated an unequal pattern. Differentiation from perinatal arterial ischemic stroke, which is mostly unilateral and distributed typically in the middle cerebral artery territory, should be possible and recognition of the typical BGT or WS magnetic resonance imaging patterns should add confidence to the diagnosis, in such scenarios.

Expanding Knowledge of the Causes of Childhood Chorea.

INHERITED AND ACQUIRED CHOREAS: Paolo Claudio M. de Gusmao, Jeff L. Waugh Seminars in Pediatric Neurology Volume 25, April 2018, Pages 42-53 Chorea is a symptom of a broad array of genetic, structural, and metabolic disorders. While chorea can result from systemic illness and damage to diverse brain structures, injury to the basal ganglia, especially the putamen or globus pallidus, appears to be a uniting features of these diverse neuropathologies. The timing of onset, rate of progression, and the associated neurological or systemic symptoms can often narrow the differential diagnosis to a few disorders. Recognizing the correct etiology for childhood chorea is critical, as numerous disorders in this category are potentially curable, or are remediable, with early treatment.

Association of MRI Visible Perivascular Spaces and Neurofilament Light Chain: The Framingham Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a marker of neuronal injury. Perivascular spaces (PVS) visible on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) represent cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) but their role as markers of neuronal injury needs further clarification. OBJECTIVE: To relate PVS burden according to brain topography and plasma NfL. METHODS: Framingham Heart Study (FHS) participants with brain MRI and NfL measurements were included. PVS were rated in the basal ganglia (BG) and centrum semiovale (CSO) using validated methods and categorized based on counts. A mixed region variable representing high burden PVS in either BG or CSO was assessed. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to relate PVS burden to log-transformed NfL levels in models adjusted for age, sex, FHS cohort, time between MRI and clinic exam, and image view (model 1), vascular risk factors (model 2), and white matter hyperintensity volume, covert brain infarcts, and cerebral microbleeds (model 3). RESULTS: Among 1,457 participants (68.1±8.5 years, 45% males), NfL levels increased with higher PVS burden. Multivariable analysis showed an association of high PVS burden strictly in BG with NfL (ß= 0.117, 95% CI 0.014-0.221; p = 0.027), but attenuated in model 3. The associations were mainly in participants≥65 years (ß= 0.122, 95% CI 0.015-0.229, p = 0.026), women (ß= 0.156, 95% CI 0.024-0.288, p = 0.021), and APOE ɛ4 non-carriers (ß= 0.140, 95% CI 0.017-0.263, p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The association of strictly BG high PVS burden with NfL suggests a role for PVS as markers of neuroaxonal injury, but our results are hypothesis generating and require further replication.

Recovery of motor function is associated with rescue of glutamate biomarkers in the striatum and motor cortex following treatment with Mucuna pruriens in a murine model of Parkinsons disease.

There is growing interest in the use of natural products for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Mucuna pruriens has been used in the treatment of humans with PD. The goal of this study was to determine if daily oral treatment with an extract of Mucuna pruriens, starting after the MPTP-induced loss of nigrostriatal dopamine in male mice, would result in recovery/restoration of motor function, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) protein expression in the nigrostriatal pathway, or glutamate biomarkers in both the striatum and motor cortex. Following MPTP administration, resulting in an 80 % loss of striatal TH, treatment with Mucuna pruriens failed to rescue either striatal TH or the dopamine transporter back to the control levels, but there was restoration of gait/motor function. There was an MPTP-induced loss of TH-labeled neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and in the number of striatal dendritic spines, both of which failed to be recovered following treatment with Mucuna pruriens. This Mucuna pruriens-induced locomotor recovery following MPTP was associated with restoration of two striatal glutamate transporter proteins, GLAST (EAAT1) and EAAC1 (EAAT3), and the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (Vglut2) within the motor cortex. Post-MPTP treatment with Mucuna pruriens, results in locomotor improvement that is associated with recovery of striatal and motor cortex glutamate transporters but is independent of nigrostriatal TH restoration.

Suppression of beta oscillations by delayed feedback in a cortex-basal ganglia-thalamus-pedunculopontine nucleus neural loop model.

Excessive neural synchronization of neural populations in the beta (ß) frequency range (12-35 Hz) is intimately related to the symptoms of hypokinesia in Parkinson's disease (PD). Studies have shown that delayed feedback stimulation strategies can interrupt excessive neural synchronization and effectively alleviate symptoms associated with PD dyskinesia. Work on optimizing delayed feedback algorithms continues to progress, yet it remains challenging to further improve the inhibitory effect with reduced energy expenditure. Therefore, we first established a neural mass model of the cortex-basal ganglia-thalamus-pedunculopontine nucleus (CBGTh-PPN) closed-loop system, which can reflect the internal properties of cortical and basal ganglia neurons and their intrinsic connections with thalamic and pedunculopontine nucleus neurons. Second, the inhibitory effects of three delayed feedback schemes based on the external globus pallidum (GPe) on ß oscillations were investigated separately and compared with those based on the subthalamic nucleus (STN) only. Our results show that all four delayed feedback schemes achieve effective suppression of pathological ß oscillations when using the linear delayed feedback algorithm. The comparison revealed that the three GPe-based delayed feedback stimulation strategies were able to have a greater range of oscillation suppression with reduced energy consumption, thus improving control performance effectively, suggesting that they may be more effective for the relief of Parkinson's motor symptoms in practical applications.

The functional anatomy of dystonia: Recent developments.

While dystonia has traditionally been viewed as a disorder of the basal ganglia, the involvement of other key brain structures is now accepted. However, just what these structures are remains to be defined. Neuroimaging has been an especially valuable tool in dystonia, yet traditional cross-sectional designs have not been able to separate causal from compensatory brain activity. Therefore, this chapter discusses recent studies using causal brain lesions, and animal models, to converge upon the brain regions responsible for dystonia with increasing precision. This evidence strongly implicates the basal ganglia, thalamus, brainstem, cerebellum, and somatosensory cortex, yet shows that different types of dystonia involve different nodes of this brain network. Nearly all of these nodes fall within the recently identified two-way networks connecting the basal ganglia and cerebellum, suggesting dysfunction of these specific pathways. Localisation of the functional anatomy of dystonia has strong implications for targeted treatment options, such as deep brain stimulation, and non-invasive brain stimulation.

Risk factors and clinical features associated with basal ganglia manganese deposition in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

BACKGROUND: T1-hyperintensity of the basal ganglia (BG) due to manganese deposition is a known radiologic finding in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT), but risk factors and associated clinical manifestations are unclear. This study conducted a quantitative analysis of the association of T1-hyperintensity in HHT patients with specific risk factors, signs, and symptoms. METHODS: Patients seen at our center between 2005 and 2020 with a definitive diagnosis of HHT who had an available non-contrast T1-weighted brain MRI were included. Hyperintensity was evaluated using oval regions of interest measurements. The BG: thalamus intensity ratio was used to quantitatively evaluate T1-hyperintensity. Patient laboratory values and clinical findings were collected from electronic medical records. Hyperintensity was analyzed for its association with laboratory values, and clinical findings. Variables were analyzed through regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 239 patients were included in this study. On 1.5 T scanners, values that were significant on multivariable regression analysis were age (p < .001), hepatic AVMs (p < .001), iron deficiency anemia (p = .0021), and cirrhosis (p = .016). On 3 T scanners, values that were significant on multivariable analysis were hepatic AVMs (p = .0024) and cirrhosis (p = .0056). On 3 T scanners, hyperintensity was significantly associated with tremor (OR = 1.17, p = .033), restless leg syndrome (OR = 1.22, p = .0086), and memory problems (OR = 1.17, p = .046). CONCLUSIONS: BG hyperintensity due to manganese deposition is significantly associated with hepatic risk factors on 1.5 T and 3 T scanners and iron deficiency anemia on 1.5 T scanners. On 3 T scanners, T1-hyperintensity is associated with neuropsychiatric signs and symptoms, such as tremor, restless leg syndrome, and memory problems.

Integrative Brain States Facilitate the Expression of Parkinson's Tremor.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD) rest tremor emerges from pathological activity in the basal ganglia and cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuits. A well-known clinical feature is the waxing and waning of PD tremor amplitude, but the mechanisms that drive this variability are unclear. Previous work has shown that arousal amplifies PD tremor by increasing between-network connectivity. Furthermore, brain states in PD are biased toward integration rather than segregation, a pattern that is also associated with increased arousal. OBJECTIVE: The aim was to test the hypothesis that fluctuations in integrative brain states and/or arousal drive spontaneous fluctuations in PD rest tremor. METHODS: We compared the temporal relationship between cerebral integration, the ascending arousal system, and tremor, both during cognitive load and in the resting state. In 40 tremor-dominant PD patients, we performed functional magnetic resonance imaging using concurrent tremor recordings and proxy measures of the ascending arousal system (pupil diameter, heart rate). We calculated whole-brain dynamic functional connectivity and used graph theory to determine a scan-by-scan measure of cerebral integration, which we related to the onset of tremor episodes. RESULTS: Fluctuations in cerebral integration were time locked to spontaneous changes in tremor amplitude: cerebral integration increased 13 seconds before tremor onset and predicted the amplitude of subsequent increases in tremor amplitude. During but not before tremor episodes, pupil diameter and heart rate increased and correlated with tremor amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: Integrative brain states are an important cerebral environment in which tremor-related activity emerges, which is then amplified by the ascending arousal system. New treatments focused on attenuating enhanced cerebral integration in PD may reduce tremor. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.