The unbearable lightness of the extrapyramidal system

Extrapyramidal System/Symptoms/Signs Should Be Retired

The term "extrapyramidal system/symptoms/signs" and the acronym "EPS" have been abundantly used in neurology and psychiatry literature for more than a century. However, EPS has been increasingly criticized, especially by movement disorder neurologists, for its lack of clinical, anatomical, and physiologic definition. Contrary to traditional assumptions, pyramidal and extrapyramidal systems are not mutually exclusive. The acronym EPS, commonly used to denote drug-induced movement disorders, lacks specificity in conveying the nature and severity of these and other movement disorders. Consequently, we propose that the term is retired from scientific literature and that clinicians use specific phenomenologic descriptors for the various hypokinetc and hyperkinetic movement disorders.

From one to many: Hypertonia in schizophrenia spectrum psychosis an integrative review and adversarial collaboration report

Different types of resistance to passive movement, i.e. hypertonia, were described in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) long before the introduction of antipsychotics. While these have been rediscovered in antipsychotic-naïve patients and their non-affected relatives, the existence of intrinsic hypertonia vs drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) in treated SSD remains controversial. This integrative review seeks to develop a commonly accepted framework to specify the putative clinical phenomena, highlight conflicting issues and discuss ways to challenge each hypothesis and model through adversarial collaboration. The authors agreed on a common framework inspired from systems neuroscience. Specification of DIP, locomotor paratonia (LMP) and psychomotor paratonia (PMP) identified points of disagreement. Some viewed parkinsonian rigidity to be sufficient for diagnosing DIP, while others viewed DIP as a syndrome that should include bradykinesia. Sensitivity of DIP to anticholinergic drugs and the nature of LPM and PMP were the most debated issues. It was agreed that treated SSD should be investigated first. Clinical features of the phenomena at issue could be confirmed by torque, EMG and joint angle measures that could help in challenging the selectivity of DIP to anticholinergics. LMP was modeled as the release of the reticular formation from the control of the supplementary motor area (SMA), which could be challenged by the tonic vibration reflex or acoustic startle. PMP was modeled as the release of primary motor cortex from the control of the SMA and may be informed by subclinical echopraxia. If these challenges are not met, this would put new constraints on the models and have clinical and therapeutic implications.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates cortical-subcortical connectivity in sensorimotor network

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) holds the ability to modulate the connectivity within the stimulated network. However, whether and how the rTMS targeted over the primary motor cortex (M1) could affect the connectivity within the sensorimotor network (SMN) is not fully elucidated. Hence, in this study, we investigated the after-effects of rTMS over left M1 at different frequencies on connectivity within SMN. Forty-five healthy participants were recruited and randomly divided into three groups according to rTMS frequencies (high-frequency [HF], 3 Hz; low-frequency [LF], 1 Hz; and SHAM). Participants received 1-Hz, 3-Hz or sham stimulation and underwent two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning sessions before and after rTMS intervention. Using resting-state functional connectivity (FC) approach, we found that high- and low-frequency rTMS had opposing effects on FC within the SMN, especially for connectivity with subcortical regions (i.e., putamen, thalamus and cerebellum). Specifically, the reductions in connectivity between cortical and subcortical regions within cortico-basal ganglia thalamo-cortical circuits and the cognitive loop of cerebellum, and increased connectivity between cortical and subdivisions within the sensorimotor loop of cerebellum were observed after high-frequency rTMS intervention, whereas the thalamus and cognitive cerebellum subdivisions exhibited increased connectivity, and sensorimotor cerebellum subdivisions showed decreased connectivity with stimulated target after low-frequency stimulation. Collectively, these findings demonstrated the alterations of connectivity within SMN after rTMS intervention at different frequencies and may help to understand the mechanisms of rTMS treatment for movement disorders associated with deficits in subcortical regions such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and Tourette's syndrome.

Abnormal topological organization in systemic lupus erythematosus: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis

Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and graph theory approaches to investigate the topological characteristics of functional networks and their potential correlations with clinical information in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 41 patients and 35 volunteers were consecutively recruited. Detailed clinical data of all participants were recorded. All participants underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging examination. Functional networks were constructed by a Pearson correlation matrix of 116 brain regions. The topological properties were analyzed by graph theory. Parametric tests were used to compare the topological properties between the groups. Partial correlation analysis was used to identify relationships between the abnormal topological properties and the clinical data. The nodal network metrics were abnormal in the SLE patients compared to the controls. Decreased nodal efficiency was identified in the right insula, bilateral putamen, and bilateral Heschl's gyrus in the SLE patients. Decreased degree centrality was also found in the right amygdala and bilateral Heschl's gyrus. In addition, the SLE patients showed decreased network functional connectivity (FC) between several regions, particularly between the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. Moreover, FC values between the right putamen and vermis 6 were positively correlated with Mini-Mental State Examination scores. The nodal efficiency and the degree centrality values in the left Heschl's gyrus were both positively correlated with the course of the disease. The topological structure of the functional network was apparently abnormal in SLE patients. FC values between the right putamen and vermis 6 may serve as a neuroimaging marker for evaluating the progressive cognitive decline in SLE patients. Decreased synergy between the basal ganglia region and the cerebellum in the extrapyramidal system may be one cause of cognitive dysfunction in SLE patients.

The corticotegmental connectivity as an integral component of the descending extrapyramidal pathway: novel and direct structural evidence stemming from focused fiber dissections

This study opts to investigate the thus far ill-defined intra-hemispheric topography, morphology, and connectivity of the extrapyramidal fibers that originate from the frontoparietal cortex and project to the tegmental area and to explore structural correlations to the pyramidal pathway. To this end, twenty normal adult, formalin-fixed cerebral hemispheres were studied through the fiber micro-dissection technique. Stepwise and in-tandem medial to lateral and lateral to medial dissections were carried out in all specimens. The cortical termination of the fibers under investigation was carefully defined, and their entry zone at the tegmental area was meticulously recorded. We consistently identified the corticotegmental tract (CTT) as a distinct fiber pathway lying in the white matter of the genu and posterior limb of the internal capsule and travelling medial to the corticospinal tract (CST) and lateral to the thalamic radiations. The CTT exhibits a fan-shaped configuration and can be classified into three discrete segments: a rostral one receiving fibers from BA8 (pre-SMA, frontal eye fields, dorsal prefrontal cortex), a middle one arising from areas BA4 and BA6 (primary motor cortex and premotor cortex), and a caudal one stemming from areas BA1/2/3 (somatosensory cortex). The anatomical location, configuration, trajectory, and axonal connectivity of this tract are attuned to the descending component of the extrapyramidal system, and therefore, it is believed to be implicated in locomotion, postural control, motor inhibition, and motor modification. Our results provide further support on the emerging concept of a dynamic, parallel, and delocalized theory for complex human motor behavior.

Safety Profile of Finasteride: Distribution of Adverse Effects According to Structural and Informational Dichotomies of the Mind/Brain

Finasteride is currently used extensively for male androgenic alopecia and benign prostatic hyperplasia; however, some adverse effects are severe and even persistent after treatment cessation, the so-called 'post-finasteride syndrome'. The following most severe adverse effects-sexual dysfunction and depression-often occur together and may potentiate one other, a fact that could explain (at least in part) the magnitude and persistence of finasteride adverse effects. This paper presents the pharmacological action of finasteride and the corresponding adverse effects, the biological base explaining the occurrence, persistence and distribution of these adverse effects, and a possible therapeutic solution for post-finasteride syndrome. The distribution of finasteride adverse effects is presented within a comprehensive and modern neuro-endocrine perspective related to structural and informational dichotomies of the brain. Understanding the variation of finasteride side effects among different populations would be necessary not only to delineate the safety profile of finasteride for different subgroups of men (a subject may or may not be affected by a certain anti-hormonal compound dependent on the individual neuro-endocrine profile), but also as a possible premise for a therapeutic approach of finasteride adverse effects. Such therapeutic approach should include administration of exogenous hormones, which are deficient in men with post-finasteride syndrome, namely dihydrotestosterone (in right-handed men) or progesterone/dihydroprogesterone (in left-handed subjects).

Mapping the functional connectivity of the substantia nigra, red nucleus and dentate nucleus: A network analysis hypothesis associated with the extrapyramidal system

This study aimed to examine the functional networks related to the extrapyramidal system using a temporal oscillation signal correlation analysis method based on critical nodes in the substantia nigra (SN), red nucleus (RN) and dentate nucleus (DN). Nineteen healthy subjects underwent resting-state fMRI and susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI). For the brain network analysis, the SN, RN and DN were positioned on susceptibility weighted images and used as seeds for temporal correlations analyzed via BOLD data. T-tests were performed for the correlation coefficients of each seed. We demonstrated that the SN, RN and DN were functionally connected to each other, and, in general, their connectivity maps overlapped in a series of subcortical extrapyramidal structures and regions of cerebral cortices. A Granger causality analysis indicated that the effective connectivity graphs within extrapyramidal structures mainly exhibited a spacial up-down pattern for the positive and negative influences, respectively. Our findings suggest that extensive regions involved in the extrapyramidal system constituted a relatively exclusive network via spatial-temporal correlation signals that analogously corresponded to the anatomical structures. The investigation of extrapyramidal system networks may have potential clinical implications.

Damage to the pyramidal tracts is necessary and sufficient for the production of the pyramidal syndrome in man

The causal role played by damage to the pyramidal tracts in the production of spastic hemiplegia in man has been hotly debated over the past hundred years. Two broad streams of thought have emerged from this dispute. The first, which is grounded on the clinicopathological schools of Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) and Paul Flechsig (1847-1929), claimed that the four cardinal signs of hemiplegia, namely (i) paralysis, (ii) spasticity, (iii) hyperactive phasic muscle reflexes ("tendon jerks") and (iv) the sign of Babinski, are caused by injury or dysfunction of the pyramidal tracts. The second school, championed by John Farquhar Fulton (1899-1960) and Derek Denny-Brown (1901-1981), reflects the increasing influence of experimental neurology on clinicopathological concepts after World War II. According to this school, most elements of the pyramidal syndrome are caused by the added release or injury of extrapyramidal structures at different levels of the forebrain and brainstem. Most symptoms of spastic hemiplegia were thus interpreted as signs of extrapyramidal (e.g., reticulospinal) release or damage. However, consensus on which symptoms of spastic hemiplegia were due to pyramidal or extrapyramidal changes was never reached. To add to this uncertainty, a number of clinicopathological cases that supported the old view were sporadically published over the same period. The purpose of the present essay is to provide clinicoanatomic perspective to the neurological literature in support of the hypothesis that damage to the pyramidal tracts is a necessary and sufficient condition for the production of the complete pyramidal syndrome in man.

Thoughts on selected movement disorder terminology and a plea for clarity

Description of the phenomenology of movement disorders requires precise and accurate terminology. Many of the terms that have been widely used in the literature are imprecise and open to interpretation. An examination of these terms and the assumptions implicit in their usage is important to improve communication and hence the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of movement disorders. I recommend that the term dyskinesia should be used primarily in the settings of Parkinson's disease and tardive dyskinesia, in which its clinical implications are relatively clear; it should not be used in other situations where a precise description could more usefully facilitate diagnosis and treatment. In general dyskinesia should be used in the singular form. Extrapyramidal is based upon obsolete anatomical concepts, is uninformative, and should be discarded. The term abnormal involuntary movements (AIMs) is similarly vague and uninformative, although is unlikely to be eliminated from the psychiatric literature. Movement disorder neurologists as teachers, clinicians, article reviewers, and journal editors have the responsibility to educate our colleagues regarding appropriate usage and the importance of employing correct descriptors.