GBA-associated Parkinson's disease in Hungary: clinical features and genetic insights.

INTRODUCTION: Parkinson's disease (PD) has a complex genetic background involving both rare and common genetic variants. Although a small percentage of cases show a clear Mendelian inheritance pattern, it is much more relevant to identify patients who present with a complex genetic profile of risk variants with different severity. The ß-glucocerebrosidase coding gene (GBA1) is recognized as the most frequent genetic risk factor for PD and Lewy body dementia, irrespective of reduction of the enzyme activity due to genetic variants. METHODS: In a selected cohort of 190 Hungarian patients with clinical signs of PD and suspected genetic risk, we performed the genetic testing of the GBA1 gene. As other genetic hits can modify clinical features, we also screened for additional rare variants in other neurodegenerative genes and assessed the APOE-ε genotype of the patients. RESULTS: In our cohort, we identified 29 GBA1 rare variant (RV) carriers. Out of the six different detected RVs, the highly debated E365K and T408M variants are composed of the majority of them (22 out of 32). Three patients carried two GBA1 variants, and an additional three patients carried rare variants in other neurodegenerative genes (SMPD1, SPG11, and SNCA). We did not observe differences in age at onset or other clinical features of the patients carrying two GBA1 variants or patients carrying heterozygous APOE-ε4 allele. CONCLUSION: We need further studies to better understand the drivers of clinical differences in these patients, as this could have important therapeutic implications.

Two-Year observational study of autonomic skin function in patients with Parkinson's disease compared to healthy individuals.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We characterized autonomic pilomotor and sudomotor skin function in early Parkinson's disease (PD) longitudinally. METHODS: We enrolled PD patients (Hoehn and Yahr 1-2) and healthy controls from movement disorder centers in Germany, Hungary, and the United States. We evaluated axon-reflex responses in adrenergic sympathetic pilomotor nerves and in cholinergic sudomotor nerves and assessed sympathetic skin response (SSR), predominantly parasympathetic neurocardiac function via heart rate variability, and disease-related symptoms at baseline, after 2 weeks, and after 1 and 2 years. CLINICALTRIALS: gov: NCT03043768. RESULTS: We included 38 participants: 26 PD (60% females, aged 62.4 ± 7.4 years, mean ± SD) and 12 controls (75% females, aged 59.5 ± 5.8 years). Pilomotor function was reduced in PD compared to controls at baseline when quantified via spatial axon-reflex spread (78 [43-143], median [interquartile range] mm2 vs. 175 [68-200] mm2 , p = 0.01) or erect hair follicle count in the axon-reflex region (8 [6-10] vs. 11 [6-16], p = 0.008) and showed reliability absent any changes from baseline to Week 2 (p = not significant [ns]). Between-group differences increased over the course of 2 years (p < 0.05), although no decline was observed within groups (p = ns). Pilomotor impairment in PD correlated with motor symptoms (rho = -0.59, p = 0.017) and was not lateralized (p = ns). Sudomotor axon-reflex and neurocardiac function did not differ between groups (p = ns), but SSR was reduced in PD (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Impairment of adrenergic sympathetic pilomotor function and SSR in evolving PD is not paralleled by changes to cholinergic sudomotor function and parasympathetic neurocardiac function, suggesting a sympathetic pathophysiology. A pilomotor axon-reflex test might be useful to monitor PD-related pathology.

Intercountry comparisons of advanced Parkinson's disease symptoms and management: Analysis from the OBSERVE-PD observational study.

OBJECTIVES: In the absence of widely accepted criteria, determining when a patient with Parkinson's disease (PD) may benefit from more advanced treatments such as device-aided therapy (DAT) so far remains a matter of physician judgment. This analysis investigates how classification of PD varies across countries relative to measures of disease severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The OBSERVational, cross-sEctional PD (OBSERVE-PD) study included consecutive patients with PD at centers that offer DATs in 18 countries. In this subgroup analysis, we explore intercountry differences in identification of advanced versus non-advanced PD based on physician's clinical judgment, symptoms assessed using Delphi consensus criteria, use of DAT, motor and non-motor symptoms, and caregiver support. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained through review of medical records. RESULTS: Overall, 1342 of 2615 patients (51.3%) were assessed by physicians as having advanced PD. The proportion of patients in different countries identified as having advanced PD (24.4-82.2%) varied. In 15 of 18 countries, a greater proportion of patients with advanced PD, according to select Delphi criteria, were identified by physicians as having advanced PD than with non-advanced PD. There was a wide variability across countries in the proportion of patients with no dyskinesia, disabling dyskinesia, dyskinesia pain, and non-motor symptoms who were identified by physicians as having advanced versus non-advanced PD. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients identified with advanced PD symptoms varies widely across countries, despite differences on the patients' profiles, indicating a need for objective diagnostic criteria to help identify patients who may benefit from DAT.

[Advanced Parkinson's disease characteristics in clinical practice: Results from the OBSERVE-PD study and sub-analysis of the Hungarian data]. / Az elôrehaladott Parkinson-kór jellemzôi a klinikai gyakorlatban: az OBSERVE-PD vizsgálat eredményei és a magyarországi alcsoport elemzése.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The majority of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease are treated at specialized movement disorder centers. Currently, there is no clear consensus on how to define the stages of Parkinson's disease; the proportion of Parkinson's patients with advanced Parkinson's disease, the referral process, and the clinical features used to characterize advanced Parkinson's disease are not well delineated. The primary objective of this observational study was to evaluate the proportion of Parkinson's patients identified as advanced patients according to physician's judgment in all participating movement disorder centers across the study. Here we evaluate the Hungarian subset of the participating patients. METHODS: The study was conducted in a cross-sectional, non-interventional, multi-country, multi-center format in 18 countries. Data were collected during a single patient visit. Current Parkinson's disease status was assessed with Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) parts II, III, IV, and V (modified Hoehn and Yahr staging). Non-motor symptoms were assessed using the PD Non-motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS); quality of life was assessed with the PD 8-item Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (PDQ-8). Parkinson's disease was classified as advanced versus non-advanced based on physician assessment and on questions developed by the Delphi method. RESULTS: Overall, 2627 patients with Parkinson's disease from 126 sites were documented. In Hungary, 100 patients with Parkinson's disease were documented in four movement disorder centers, and, according to the physician assessment, 50% of these patients had advanced Parkinson's disease. Their mean scores showed significantly higher impairment in those with, versus without advanced Parkinson's disease: UPDRS II (14.1 vs. 9.2), UPDRS IV Q32 (1.1 vs. 0.0) and Q39 (1.1 vs. 0.5), UPDRS V (2.8 vs. 2.0) and PDQ-8 (29.1 vs. 18.9). CONCLUSION: Physicians in Hungarian movement disorder centers assessed that half of the Parkinson's patients had advanced disease, with worse motor and non-motor symptom severity and worse QoL than those without advanced Parkinson's disease. Despite being classified as eligible for invasive/device-aided treatment, that treatment had not been initiated in 25% of these patients.

Characterizing advanced Parkinson's disease: OBSERVE-PD observational study results of 2615 patients.

BACKGROUND: There are currently no standard diagnostic criteria for characterizing advanced Parkinson's disease (APD) in clinical practice, a critical component in determining ongoing clinical care and therapeutic strategies, including transitioning to device-aided treatment. The goal of this analysis was to determine the proportion of APD vs. non-advanced PD (non-APD) patients attending specialist PD clinics and to demonstrate the clinical burden of APD. METHODS: OBSERVE-PD, a cross-sectional, international, observational study, was conducted with 2615 PD patients at 128 movement disorder centers in 18 countries. Motor and non-motor symptoms, activities of daily living, and quality-of-life end points were assessed. The correlation between physician's global assessment of advanced PD and the advanced PD criteria from a consensus of an international group of experts (Delphi criteria for APD) were evaluated. RESULTS: According to physician's judgment, 51% of patients were considered to have APD. There was a moderate correlation between physician's judgment and Delphi criteria for APD (K = 0.430; 95% CI 0.406-0.473). Activities of daily living, motor symptom severity, dyskinesia duration/disability, "Off" time duration, non-motor symptoms, and quality-of-life scores were worse among APD vs. non-APD patients (p < 0.0001 for all). APD patients (assessed by physicians) had higher disease burden by motor and non-motor symptoms compared with non-APD patients and a negative impact on activities of daily living and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: These findings aid in identifying standard APD classification parameters for use in practicing physicians. Improvements in identification of APD patients may be particularly relevant for optimizing treatment strategies including transitioning to device-aided treatment.

[Recommendation for treatment options in advanced Parkinson's disease]. / Ajánlás a Parkinson-kór elorehaladott stádiumának kezeléséhez.

The treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease is challenging for both physicians and caregivers. The device-aided therapies need expertise and dedicated hospital centers. In this summary we have concluded the available data and recommendation for the treatment options in advanced Parkinson's disease and adopt them to the daily care in Hungary.

[Application of levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel in advanced Parkinson's disease]. / Levodopa/carbidopa intesztinális gél alkalmazása elorehaladott Parkinson-kórban.

Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder around the world. Levodopa has remained the "gold standard" of the therapy even several decades after its introduction. Chronic levodopa treatment is associated with the development of motor complications in most patients. Advanced Parkinson's disease is characterized by these complications: motor and non-motor fluctuation and disturbing dyskinesia. Continuous dopaminergic stimulation might reduce these complications. In advanced Parkinson's disease levodopa is still effective. In the treatment of this stage there are several advanced or device-aided therapies: apomorphine pump, deep brain stimulation and levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel. Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel is an aqueous gel that can be delivered to the jejunum via a percutaneous gastrojejunostomy tube which is connected to an infusion pump dosing the levodopa gel continuously to the place of absorption. Levodopa/carbidopa gel infusion can be used as monotherapy, can be tested, can be used individually and this therapy is reversible. Several clinical trials demonstrated that levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel therapy is of long-term benefit, improves the quality of life of the patients and can reduce motor fluctuation and dyskinesia.

[VALIDATION OF THE HUNGARIAN UNIFIED DYSKINESIA RATING SCALE]. / AZ EGYSÉGESÍTETT DYSKINESIA-PONTOZÓSKÁLA MAGYAR NYELVI VALIDÁCIÓJA.

BACKGROUND: The Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) was published in 2008. It was designed to be simultaneous valid, reliable and sensitive to therapeutic changes. The Movement Disorder Society organizing team developed guidelines for the development of official non-English translations consisting of four steps: translation/back-translation, cognitive pretesting, large field testing, and clinimetric analysis. The aim of this paper was to introduce the new UDysRS and its validation process into Hungarian. METHODS: After the translation of UDysRS into Hungarian and back-translated into English, it was reviewed by the UDysRS translation administration team. Subsequent cognitive pretesting was conducted with ten patients. For the large field testing phase, the Hungarian official working draft version of UDysRS was tested with 256 patients with Parkinson's disease having dyskinesia. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) determined whether the factor structure for the valid Spanish UDysRS could be confirmed in data collected using the Hungarian Official Draft Version. To become an official translation, the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) had to be ≥ 0.90 compared to the Spanish-language version. RESULTS: For the Hungarian UDysRS the CFI was 0.98. CONCLUSION: The overall factor structure of the Hungarian version was consistent with that of the Spanish version based on the high CFIs for the UDysRS in the CFA; therefore, this version was designated as the Official Hungarian Version Of The UDysRS.

[Experience with levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel in the treatment of advanced Parkinson's disease in Hungary]. / A levodopa/carbidopa intestinalis gél kezelés magyarországi tapasztalatai elorehaladott Parkinson-kórban.

In the advanced Parkison's disease (PD) the late complications of levodopa therapy have to be considered: motor and/or non-motor fluctuations with or without disturbing dyskinesias. The non-motor fluctuations often influence the quality of life (QoL) in a much more negative way compared with the motor symptoms. In the treatment of advanced PD there are several device-aided methods - deep brain stimulation, apomorphine pump, levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) - to improve the symptoms, the QoL, sometimes even in an individual, tailored custom form. The LCIG therapy was introduced in Hungary in 2011. Here we summarize the data of our patients: we have tested almost 60 patients and in 43 cases we have started this treatment. We analyze the duration of illness, levodopa therapy, motor and non-motor fluctuation of patients and present our experiences with the test phase and the chronic LCIG therapy via PEG/PEJ implantation. We paid attention to the surgery and device - depending side effects. Our experiences are similar to the international data. In patients selection ,,the right treatment, to the right patient, in the right time" is of importance.

[VALIDATION OF THE HUNGARIAN MDS-UPDRS: WHY DO WE NEED A NEW PARKINSON SCALE?]. / AZ MDS-UPDRS MAGYAR VALIDáCIóJA: MIéRT SZüKSéGES UJABB PARKINSON-PONTOZOSKáLA?

BACKGROUND: The Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) has been published in 2008 as the successor of the original UPDRS. The MDS-UPDRS organizing team developed guidelines for the development of official non-English translations consisting of four steps: translation/back-translation, cognitive pretesting, large field testing, and clinimetric analysis. The aim of this paper was to introduce the new MDS-UPDRS and its validation process into Hungarian. METHODS: Two independent groups of neurologists translated the text of the MDS-UPDRS into Hungarian and subsequently back-translated into English. After the review of the back-translated English version by the MDS-UPDRS translation administration team, cognitive pretesting was conducted with ten patients. Based on the results of the initial cognitive pretesting, another round was conducted. For the large field testing phase, the Hungarian official working draft version of MDS-UPDRS was tested with 357 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) determined whether the factor structure for the English-language MDS-UPDRS could be confirmed in data collected using the Hungarian Official Draft Version. To become an official translation, the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) had to be ≥ 0.90 compared to the English-language version. RESULTS: For all four parts of the Hungarian MDS-UPDRS, the CFI was ≥ 0.94. CONCLUSION: The overall factor structure of the Hungarian version was consistent with that of the English version based on the high CFIs for all the four parts of the MDS-UPDRS in the CFA; therefore, this version was designated as the "OFFICIAL GUNGARIAN VERSION OF THE MDS-UPDRS'.

[Treatment possibilities in advanced Parkinson's disease]. / Kezelési lehetoségek a Parkinson-kór elorehaladott stádiumában.

In the course of Parkinson's disease, advanced and late stages can be distinguished. In the advanced stage, levodopa has good effect on motor symptoms, but patient care is often hindered by levodopa-induced complications such as motor fluctuation and dyskinesias. In the late stage levodopa response becomes poor, falls, dementia and psychotic symptoms appear and patients often need hospitalization. In the advanced stage, the quality of life may be improved better by device-aided therapy than by best oral medical treatment. The alternatives are apomorhin pump, levodopa carbidopa intestinal gel with pump and deep brain stimulation. The therapy plan should be based on the principle: "the right treatment, to the right patient, at the right time".

[Efficacy of deep brain stimulation in our patients with Parkinson's disease]. / A mély agyi stimuláció hatékonysaga Parkinson- kóros betegeink kezelésében.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSES: In advanced Parkinson's disease, medically refractory motor fluctuation or medically resistant tremor considerably affects quality of life. However, these symptoms can be mostly successfully treated by deep brain stimulation. We analyzed the efficacy of bilateral subthalamic stimulation in our patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS: We assessed the clinical data of ten patients who have been treated in the Department of Neurology, Semmelweis University and have been operated in the National Institute of Neurosciences between 2008 and 2011. The Hoehn-Yahr scale score, the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale score and the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire 39, as well as the dose of antiparkinson medication were documented prior to and one year after surgery. RESULTS: Patient condition improved according to the Hoehn-Yahr scale, approximately by two stages. The dose of antiparkinson medication could be reduced by 63.4% (p = 0.005) post operation. Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale scores decreased by 70.9% (p = 0.005). 12 hours after medication withdrawal, execution of daily activity improved by 57.1% (p < 0.01) and motor functions developed by 79.1% (p < 0.01). Duration of dyskinesias decreased by 62.5% (p = 0.018), duration of akinesia diminished by 87.5% (p = 0.005). Quality of life rose by 41.6% (p < 0.01). Neuropsychological tests detected improvement in verbal memory. CONCLUSION: With deep brain stimulation, the dosage of antiparkinson medication could be significantly reduced, with considerable improvements in motor function and quality of life. Although the number of patients is still low, good results have been established by careful patient selection, precise neurosurgical procedure and by appropriate programming and patient care.

[The absence of the common LRRK2 G2019S mutation in 120 young onset Hungarian Parkinon's disease patients]. / Az LRRK2 gyakori G2019s-mutációjának hiánya 120, korai kezdetu magyar Parkinson-beteg esetében.

Parkinson's disease is a promising target of applying personalized medicine. For this purpose it is crucial to reveal the genetic and environmental factors, which contribute to the disease, also to collect epidemiologic data and to preserve the patients samples and data in a proper biobank. In our investigation we examined the prevalence of the most frequent Parkinson's disease causing LRRK2 G2019S mutation in a Hungarian Parkinson-patient group. From 120 patients, we haven't detected this substitution in anyone. Our investigation suggest that the mutation LRRK2 G2019S may be a rare cause of Parkinson disease in the Hungarian population.

Reward-learning and the novelty-seeking personality: a between- and within-subjects study of the effects of dopamine agonists on young Parkinson's patients.

Parkinson's disease is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic pathways projecting to the striatum. These pathways are implicated in reward prediction. In this study, we investigated reward and punishment processing in young, never-medicated Parkinson's disease patients, recently medicated patients receiving the dopamine receptor agonists pramipexole and ropinirole and healthy controls. The never-medicated patients were also re-evaluated after 12 weeks of treatment with dopamine agonists. Reward and punishment processing was assessed by a feedback-based probabilistic classification task. Personality characteristics were measured by the temperament and character inventory. Results revealed that never-medicated patients with Parkinson's disease showed selective deficits on reward processing and novelty seeking, which were remediated by dopamine agonists. These medications disrupted punishment processing. In addition, dopamine agonists increased the correlation between reward processing and novelty seeking, whereas these drugs decreased the correlation between punishment processing and harm avoidance. Our finding that dopamine agonist administration in young patients with Parkinson's disease resulted in increased novelty seeking, enhanced reward processing, and decreased punishment processing may shed light on the cognitive and personality bases of the impulse control disorders, which arise as side-effects of dopamine agonist therapy in some Parkinson's disease patients.

Linking Individual Patient Data to Estimate Incidence and Prevalence of Parkinson's Disease by Comparing Reports of Neurological Services and Pharmacy Prescription Refills at a Nationwide Level.

Objectives: We set forth to estimate the number of those with Parkinson's disease (PD) in Hungary, a country with a single-payer health insurance system covering 10 million inhabitants. Methods: We analyzed all hospital and outpatient reports from neurological services and pharmacy reports of prescription refills. We cross-checked clinically administered diagnosis of PD with prescription refills of antiparkinsonian medications using record linkage. We used the ICD-10 code of G20 in any diagnostic category to find all cases with possible PD. For case certification those patients were considered to have PD who were recorded with G20 code in at least 2 calendar years. For a more conservative estimation we determined the number of those who also refilled antiparkinsonian medication. Results: Between 2010 and 2012 there were 46,383 subjects with certified PD by clinical criteria. Crude and age-standardized incidence were 49/100,000/year (95% CI: 45-53), and 56/100,000/year (95% CI: 51-60). Crude and age standardized prevalence rates were 404/100,000 (95% CI: 392-416) and 471/100,000 (95% CI: 456-485). Of all clinically certified PD patients 72% refilled antiparkinsonian medications. Discussion: The incidence and prevalence of PD in Hungary is higher than earlier estimates, which should be considered in organizing healthcare services for this patient group.

The rs13388259 Intergenic Polymorphism in the Genomic Context of the BCYRN1 Gene Is Associated with Parkinson's Disease in the Hungarian Population.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by bradykinesia, resting tremor, and muscle rigidity. To date, approximately 50 genes have been implicated in PD pathogenesis, including both Mendelian genes with rare mutations and low-penetrance genes with common polymorphisms. Previous studies of low-penetrance genes focused on protein-coding genes, and less attention was given to long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In this study, we aimed to investigate the susceptibility roles of lncRNA gene polymorphisms in the development of PD. Therefore, polymorphisms (n=15) of the PINK1-AS, UCHL1-AS, BCYRN1, SOX2-OT, ANRIL and HAR1A lncRNAs genes were genotyped in Hungarian PD patients (n=160) and age- and sex-matched controls (n=167). The rare allele of the rs13388259 intergenic polymorphism, located downstream of the BCYRN1 gene, was significantly more frequent among PD patients than control individuals (OR = 2.31; p=0.0015). In silico prediction suggested that this polymorphism is located in a noncoding region close to the binding site of the transcription factor HNF4A, which is a central regulatory hub gene that has been shown to be upregulated in the peripheral blood of PD patients. The rs13388259 polymorphism may interfere with the binding affinity of transcription factor HNF4A, potentially resulting in abnormal expression of target genes, such as BCYRN1.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in untreated Parkinson's disease.

Neuropsychiatric and cognitive symptoms are common in Parkinson's disease (PD) and may precede and exceed motor symptoms as major factors impacting disease course and quality of life. Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in PD are various and are attributed to pathologic changes within multiple brain regions, to psychological stress, and to adverse effects of dopamine replacement therapy. Sleep disorders and mood symptoms such as apathy, depression, and anxiety may antedate the development of motor symptoms by years, while other NPS such as impulse control disorders, psychosis, and cognitive impairment are more common in later stages of the disease. Few studies report on NPS in the early, untreated phase of PD. We reviewed the current literature on NPS in PD with a focus on the early, drug-naive stages of PD. Among these early disease stages, premotor and early motor phases were separately addressed in our review, highlighting the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms as well as epidemiological characteristics, clinical features, risk factors, and available techniques of clinical assessment.

Cutaneous Autonomic Pilomotor Testing to Unveil the Role of Neuropathy Progression in Early Parkinson's Disease (CAPTURE PD): Protocol for a Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: In Parkinson's disease (PD), alpha-synuclein accumulation in cutaneous autonomic pilomotor and sudomotor nerve fibers has been linked to autonomic nervous system disturbances even in the early stages of the disease. This study aims to assess the association between alpha-synuclein-mediated structural autonomic nerve fiber damage and function in PD, elucidate the role of neuropathy progression during the early disease stages, and test reproducibility and external validity of pilomotor function assessment using quantitative pilomotor axon-reflex test and sudomotor function via quantitative direct and indirect test of sudomotor function. METHODS/DESIGN: A prospective controlled study will be conducted at four study sites in Europe and the USA. Fifty-two male and female patients with idiopathic PD (Hoehn and Yahr 1-2) and 52 age- and sex-matched healthy controls will be recruited. Axon-reflex-mediated pilomotor erection will be induced by iontophoresis of phenylephrine on the dorsal forearm. Silicone impressions of the response will be obtained, scanned, and quantified for pilomotor muscle impressions by number, impression size, and area of axon-reflex spread. Axon-reflex-mediated sweating following acetylcholine iontophoresis will be quantified for number and size of droplets and axon-reflex spread. Sympathetic skin responses, autonomic and motor symptoms will be evaluated. Tests will be performed at baseline, after 2 weeks, 1, 2, and 3 years. Skin biopsies will be obtained at baseline and after 3 years and will be analyzed for nerve fiber density and alpha-synuclein accumulation. DISCUSSION: We anticipate that progression of autonomic nerve dysfunction assessed via pilomotor and sudomotor axon-reflex tests is related to progression of autonomic symptom severity and alpha-synuclein deposition. Potential applications of the techniques include interventional studies evaluating disease-modifying approaches and clinical assessment of autonomic dysfunction in patients with PD. CLINICAL TRAIL REGISTRATION: TRN NCT03043768.

Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel can improve both motor and non-motor experiences of daily living in Parkinson's disease: An open-label study.

BACKGROUND: Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel therapy (LCIG) can efficiently improve several motor and non-motor symptoms of advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The recently developed Movement Disorder Society-sponsored Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) improved the original UPDRS making it a more robust tool to evaluate therapeutic changes. However, previous studies have not used the MDS-UPDRS and the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) to assess the efficacy of LCIG. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to determine if the MDS-UPDRS and UDysRS could detect improvement in the experiences of daily living following 1-year LCIG treatment. METHODS: In this prospective, multicenter, open-label study, 34 consecutive patients undergoing LCIG treatment were enrolled. Patients were examined twice: prior to LCIG initiation and 12 months later. Impact of PD-related symptoms and dyskinesia was assessed by the MDS-UPDRS and UDysRS. RESULTS: Non-motor Experiences of Daily Living part of MDS-UPDRS improved from 20 (median, interquartile-range, IQR:14-23) to 16 points (median, IQR:12-20, p = 0.044) and the Motor Experiences of Daily Living ameliorated from 24 (median, IQR:20-29) to 18 points (median, IQR:13-25, p = 0.025). Health-related quality of life, measured by PDQ-39, also improved from 35.4 (median, IQR:26.9-50.3) to 27.0 (median, IQR:21.3-31.4) points (p = 0.003). The total score of UDysRS decreased from 47 (median, IQR:36-54) to 34 (median, IQR:21-45) points (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: As far as the authors are aware of, our paper is the first to evaluate the impact of LCIG on dyskinesia by the means of UDysRS. Changes in MDS-UPDRS and UDysRS confirm that LCIG treatment can efficiently improve experiences of daily living in advanced PD.

Delayed beta synchronization after movement of the more affected hand in essential tremor.

To investigate the pathomechanism of parkinsonian tremor (PT) and essential tremor (ET) by studying the correlation between tremor asymmetry and post-movement beta synchronization (PMBS) of the human EEG. We recorded the EEG of 10 patients with ET, 10 patients with Parkinson's disease and 10 controls. Subjects pressed an on-off switch in a self-paced manner with the thumb of their less (T+) and more (T++) tremulous hand. After digitalization of the EEG from the Cz, C3, C4 electrodes the movement reactive beta frequency, its maximum peak power value and its latency triggered to movement offset were determined. In ET tremor intensity did not influence the power of PMBS, however it was significantly delayed after the movement of the more tremulous hand. In Parkinson's disease after the movement of the more tremulous hand PMBS power was decreased, but it was not delayed. In controls the side of movement had no effect on the power and latency of the PMBS. The neuronal mechanisms underlying PMBS generation are differently affected in essential tremor and Parkinson's disease. The increase of PMBS latency after movement of the more affected hand in ET indicates possible cortical mechanisms in essential tremor generation.