Parkinson Disease
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MRI-guided FUS Thalamotomy for Medically Refractory Parkinson’s Tremor
This study comparing 20 individuals who received MRI-guided focused ultrasound thalamotomy with seven individuals who received sham treatment showed improvements in Parkinson’s disease tremor. Side effects were similar to prior studies of this technology for essential tremor, with ataxia and limb/orofacial paresthesias being most common.
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Plasma α-Synuclein Is a Leading Candidate Biomarker in Parkinson’s Disease
In this cross-sectional study, plasma alpha-synuclein levels were higher in individuals with Parkinson’s disease than controls, and correlated with cognitive decline.
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Serotonin Transporter Increases in Premotor Parkinson’s Disease
In a small cross-sectional study, increased serotonin transporter was detected using 11C-DASB PET in striatum, hypothalamus, and brainstem in LRRK2 carriers who did not have clinical Parkinson’s disease. This contrasts with later decreases previously described and implies a likely early compensatory mechanism.
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Bright-light Therapy for Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson’s Disease Patients
Light therapy has been shown to be beneficial in treating excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson’s disease patients and also may improve sleep quality.
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Fludrocortisone for Orthostatic Hypotension Associated With Parkinson’s Disease
This double-center, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial compared the efficacy of pyridostigmine bromide vs. fludrocortisone and demonstrated that pyridostigmine bromide was not as effective as fludrocortisone. The authors also provided evidence for the efficacy of fludrocortisone in treating neurogenic orthostatic hypotension.
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Ambulatory Autonomic Testing in Multiple System Atrophy and Parkinson’s Disease
A comparison of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring with tilt-table testing in 23 patients with multiple system atrophy, 18 with Parkinson’s disease and autonomic dysfunction, and 33 with Parkinson’s disease alone demonstrated 82% sensitivity and 100% specificity in detecting orthostatic hypotension. This suggests ambulatory monitoring provides valuable information on these patients’ function.
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Statins Associated with Lower Parkinson’s Risk in Diabetics
In approximately 50,000 individuals with Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, identified from a National Health Insurance database in Taiwan, statin use was dose-dependently associated with lower risk of Parkinson’s disease. This strengthens the argument for a possible protective role of statins.
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Postmortem Evidence of Limbic, Neocortical, and Basal Ganglia Deficits in Parkinson’s Disease Dementia
Postmortem brain tissue from 15 individuals with Parkinson’s disease dementia was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography and immunoassays, revealing widespread deficits in dopamine, serotonin, and noradrenaline innervation.
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Lower Risk of Parkinson’s Disease After Vagotomy: Implications for Spread of Pathology
Truncal vagotomy was associated with a reduced risk for Parkinson’s disease with a hazard ratio of 0.58 for those with more than 20 years’ follow-up. This suggests the vagus nerve as a possible route of entry into the central nervous system for this neurodegenerative process.
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Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease
In several randomized, sham-controlled trials, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation was shown to be effective in reducing the motor manifestations of Parkinson’s disease, with minimal side effects.