Advanced Parkinson's disease treatment patterns in Italy: an observational study interim analysis

BACKGROUND

Oral levodopa remains the mainstay of treatment for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, as PD progresses, response to treatment may fluctuate. Managing fluctuations can be demanding for clinicians and patients. There is a paucity of real-world studies reporting on PD management in patients with fluctuations in treatment response, especially in patients with advanced stages of PD. The multicentre, observational Parkinson's Disease Fluctuations treatment PAthway (PD-FPA) study describes the real-life management of response fluctuations in Italian patients with advanced PD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

PD-FPA had a retrospective and prospective phase; herein, retrospective results are presented. Ten Italian centres enrolled patients with a PD diagnosis from 10-15 years prior to study entry (T0) and who had ≥2-year history of fluctuations. Data on patient demographics, medical history, PD stage, fluctuation characteristics, symptoms, and prescribed treatments were collected at T0 and retrospectively (2 years prior to T0) via patient chart review/interview.

RESULTS

Overall, 296 patients (60% male, mean age 68 years, 84% with Hoehn and Yahr scores 2-3) were enrolled. At T0, most patients (99.3%) were on oral levodopa therapy. All patients used dopaminergic medications; adjunctive medications included dopamine agonists (56%) and monoamine oxidase B (60%) and catechol-O-methyltransferase enzyme inhibitors (41%). At T0, 51% of patients had changed therapy, with response fluctuations being the most common reason (74%); wearing-off was the most common fluctuation (83%).

CONCLUSION

This interim analysis of PD-FPA suggests that adequate levodopa dosing and adjunctive medications can stabilize advanced PD and provide patients with a good quality of life.

Mood disturbances in newly diagnosed Parkinson's Disease patients reflect intrathecal inflammation

In Parkinson's disease (PD), neuroinflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of mood disorders, contributing to the clinical heterogeneity of the disease. The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-9, IL-12, IL-17, interferon (IFN)γ, macrophage inflammatory protein 1-alpha (MIP-1a), MIP-1b, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), eotaxin, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), were assessed in 45 newly diagnosed and untreated PD patients and in 44 control patients. Spearman's correlations were used to explore possible associations between CSF cytokines and clinical variables including mood. Benjamini-Hochberg (B-H) correction for multiple comparisons was applied. Linear regression was used to test significant associations correcting for other clinical variables. In PD patients, higher CSF concentrations of the inflammatory molecules IL-6, IL-9, IFNγ, and GCSF were found (all B-H corrected p < 0.02). Significant associations were found between BDI-II and the levels of IL-6 (Beta = 0.438; 95%CI 1.313-5.889; p = 0.003) and IL-8 (Beta = 0.471; 95%CI 0.185-0.743; p = 0.002). Positive associations were also observed between STAI-Y state and both IL-6 (Beta = 0.452; 95%CI 1.649-7.366; p = 0.003), and IL-12 (Beta = 0.417; 95%CI 2.238-13.379; p = 0.007), and between STAI-Y trait and IL-2 (Beta = 0.354; 95%CI 1.923-14.796; p = 0.012), IL-6 (Beta = 0.362; 95%CI 0.990-6.734; p = 0.01), IL-8 (Beta = 0.341; 95%CI 0.076-0.796; p = 0.019), IL-12 (Beta = 0.328; 95%CI 0.975-12.135; p = 0.023), and IL-17 (Beta = 0.334; 95CI 0.315-4.455; p = 0.025). An inflammatory CSF milieu may be associated with depression and anxiety in the early phases of PD, supporting a role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of mood disturbances.

Dynamic Stability, Symmetry, and Smoothness of Gait in People with Neurological Health Conditions

Neurological disorders such as stroke, Parkinson's disease (PD), and severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) are leading global causes of disability and mortality. This study aimed to assess the ability to walk of patients with sTBI, stroke, and PD, identifying the differences in dynamic postural stability, symmetry, and smoothness during various dynamic motor tasks. Sixty people with neurological disorders and 20 healthy participants were recruited. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors were employed to measure spatiotemporal parameters and gait quality indices during different motor tasks. The Mini-BESTest, Berg Balance Scale, and Dynamic Gait Index Scoring were also used to evaluate balance and gait. People with stroke exhibited the most compromised biomechanical patterns, with lower walking speed, increased stride duration, and decreased stride frequency. They also showed higher upper body instability and greater variability in gait stability indices, as well as less gait symmetry and smoothness. PD and sTBI patients displayed significantly different temporal parameters and differences in stability parameters only at the pelvis level and in the smoothness index during both linear and curved paths. This study provides a biomechanical characterization of dynamic stability, symmetry, and smoothness in people with stroke, sTBI, and PD using an IMU-based ecological assessment.

Compassionate mind training for people with Parkinson's disease: A pilot study and predictors of response

INTRODUCTION

People with Parkinson's disease (PD) often present with disabling neuropsychiatric symptoms. Compassionate mind training (CMT) is a psychological approach effective in reducing stress and promoting psychological well-being. Heart rate variability (HRV), a measure reflecting sympathovagal balance, has been associated with psychological well-being and a compassionate attitude.

AIM

To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of CMT in enhancing the quality of life and psychological well-being in PD patients. Additionally, we evaluated HRV as a physiomarker for assessing the CMT outcomes.

METHODS

Twenty-four PD patients participated in the study. A 6-week online CMT intervention was delivered on a weekly basis. At baseline and post-intervention patients completed questionnaires assessing depression, anxiety and quality of life. In a subsample of 11 patients, HRV was measured at baseline and post-intervention in three conditions: at rest, during stress and after 3 min of deep breathing.

RESULTS

The attendance rate was 94.3%. Quality of life and perceived stigma improved post-intervention as compared with baseline (p = 0.02 and p = 0.03 for PD Questionnaire-39 total score and Stigma subscore, respectively). After CMT, patients presented better physiological regulation to stress, as measured by higher HRV as compared with baseline (p = 0.005). Notably, patients who were more resilient to stress at baseline (less decrease in HRV during stress) experienced a more substantial reduction in anxiety and depression following CMT.

CONCLUSIONS

CMT is feasible and can improve quality of life and stigma in PD patients. HRV emerges as a promising physiomarker for predicting and measuring the outcomes of psychological interventions in PD.

Elderly Onset of Functional Motor Disorders: Clinical Correlates from the Italian Registry

BACKGROUND

Functional motor disorders (FMD) are a frequent neurological condition affecting patients with movement disorders. Commonly described in younger adults, their manifestation can be also associated to an elderly onset.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence and describe the clinical manifestations of FMD with elderly and younger onset and their relationship with demographical and clinical variables.

METHODS

We recruited patients with a "clinically definite" diagnosis of FMD from the Italian Registry of FMD. Patients underwent extensive clinical assessments. For elderly onset, we set a chronological cut-off at 65 years or older according to WHO definition. Multivariate regression models were implemented to estimate adjusted odds ratio of elderly FMD onset related to clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

Among the 410 patients, 34 (8.2%) experienced elderly-onset FMD, with a mean age at onset of 70.9 years. The most common phenotype was tremor (47.1%), followed by gait disorders, weakness, and dystonia (29.4%, 23.5%, 14.7%, respectively). Eleven elderly patients had a combined phenomenology: 9 exhibited two phenotypes, 2 had three phenotypes. Weakness was isolated in 3/8 patients and combined with another phenotype in 5/8, manifesting as paraplegia (n = 4); upper limb diplegia (n = 2), hemiparesis/hemiplegia (n = 1), and tetraparesis/tetraplegia (n= 1). Non-motor and other functional neurological disorders occurred more frequently in the younger group (89.1%) than the elderly (73.5%). Neurological and non-neurological comorbidities were more prevalent in the elderly group (82.4%) as opposed to the younger (32.7%). In a multivariate regression analysis, elderly-onset FMD was significantly associated with neurological comorbidities, including parkinsonism (OR 6.73) and cerebrovascular diseases (OR 5.48).

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight the importance of achieving an accurate diagnosis of FMD in the elderly, as it is crucial for effectively managing FMD symptoms and addressing neurological comorbidities.

A novel manual therapy approach for managing acute interscapular pain following median sternotomy for open cardiac surgery: A clinical comparative analysis

INTRODUCTION

Acute interscapular pain is a frequent postoperative complication observed in patients who have undergone median sternotomy. This study aimed to assess a novel approach to manual therapy utilizing the Regional Interdependence (RI) concept for managing interscapular pain in post-sternotomy patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In an observational study, a cohort of 60 consecutively admitted patients undergoing median sternotomy was enrolled. Data collection involved standardized clinical evaluations conducted at specific time points: prior to manual treatment (T0), following five manual treatments (T5), and at post-treatment days 10 (T10) and 30 (T30). The Experimental Group (EG) received manual treatment based on the RI concept, performed in a seated position to accommodate individual clinical conditions and surgical wound considerations. The Control Group (CG) received simulated treatment involving identical exercises to the EG but lacking the physiological or biomechanical stimulation.

RESULTS

Among the initial 60 patients, 36 met the inclusion criteria, while 24 were excluded due to one or more exclusion criteria. Treatment outcomes revealed a statistically significant improvement in the EG compared to the CG, not only in terms of pain reduction but also in functional recovery and consequent disability reduction.

DISCUSSION

The RI concept emerges as a potentially valuable therapeutic approach for addressing interscapular dysfunction, particularly in highly complex post-sternotomy patients. This study highlights the clinical relevance of the RI concept in the management of interscapular pain and highlights its potential utility in improving patient outcomes in the challenging context of sternotomy surgery.

Effects of dopaminergic treatment on inhibitory control differ across Hoehn and Yahr stages of Parkinson's disease

Motor inhibitory control, a core component of cognitive control, is impaired in Parkinson's disease, dramatically impacting patients' abilities to implement goal-oriented adaptive strategies. A progressive loss of the midbrain's dopamine neurons characterizes Parkinson's disease and causes motor features responsive to dopaminergic treatments. Although such treatments restore motor symptoms, their impact on response inhibition is controversial. Most studies failed to show any effect of dopaminergic medicaments, although three studies found that these drugs selectively improved inhibitory control in early-stage patients. Importantly, all previous studies assessed only one domain of motor inhibition, i.e. reactive inhibition (the ability to react to a stop signal). The other domain, i.e. proactive inhibition (the ability to modulate reactive inhibition pre-emptively according to the current context), was utterly neglected. To re-examine this issue, we recruited cognitively unimpaired Parkinson's patients under dopaminergic treatment in the early (Hoehn and Yahr, 1-1.5, n = 20), intermediate (Hoehn and Yahr 2, n = 20), and moderate/advanced (Hoehn and Yahr, 2.5-3, n = 20) stages of the disease. Using a cross-sectional study design, we compared their performance on a simple reaction-time task and a stop-signal task randomly performed twice on dopaminergic medication (ON) and after medication withdrawal (OFF). Normative data were collected on 30 healthy controls. Results suggest that medication effects are stage-dependent. In Hoehn and Yahr 1-1.5 patients, drugs selectively impair reactive inhibition, leaving proactive inhibition unaffected. In the ON state, Hoehn and Yahr two patients experienced impaired proactive inhibition, whereas reactive inhibition is no longer affected, as it deteriorates even during the OFF state. By contrast, Hoehn and Yahr 2.5-3 patients exhibited less efficient reactive and proactive inhibition in the OFF state, and medication slightly improved proactive inhibition. This evidence aligns with the dopamine overdose hypothesis, indicating that drug administration may overdose intact dopamine circuitry in the earliest stages, impairing associated cognitive functions. In later stages, the progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons prevents the overdose and can exert some beneficial effects. Thus, our findings suggest that inhibitory control assessment might help tailor pharmacological therapy across the disease stage to enhance Parkinson's disease patients' quality of life by minimizing the hampering of inhibitory control and maximizing the reduction of motor symptoms.

Intraoperative Local Field Potential Beta Power and Three-Dimensional Neuroimaging Mapping Predict Long-Term Clinical Response to Deep Brain Stimulation in Parkinson Disease: A Retrospective Study

BACKGROUND

Directional deep brain stimulation (DBS) leads allow a fine-tuning control of the stimulation field, however, this new technology could increase the DBS programming time because of the higher number of the possible combinations used in directional DBS than in standard nondirectional electrodes. Neuroimaging leads localization techniques and local field potentials (LFPs) recorded from DBS electrodes implanted in basal ganglia are among the most studied biomarkers for DBS programing.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate whether intraoperative LFPs beta power and neuroimaging reconstructions correlate with contact selection in clinical programming of DBS in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this retrospective study, routine intraoperative LFPs recorded from all contacts in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) of 14 patients with PD were analyzed to calculate the beta band power for each contact. Neuroimaging reconstruction obtained through Brainlab Elements Planning software detected contacts localized within the STN. Clinical DBS programming contact scheme data were collected after one year from the implant. Statistical analysis evaluated the diagnostic performance of LFPs beta band power and neuroimaging data for identification of the contacts selected with clinical programming. We evaluated whether the most effective contacts identified based on the clinical response after one year from implant were also those with the highest level of beta activity and localized within the STN in neuroimaging reconstruction.

RESULTS

LFPs beta power showed a sensitivity of 67%, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 84%, a diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) of 2.7 in predicting the most effective contacts as evaluated through the clinical response. Neuroimaging reconstructions showed a sensitivity of 62%, a NPV of 77%, a DOR of 1.20 for contact effectivity prediction. The combined use of the two methods showed a sensitivity of 87%, a NPV of 87%, a DOR of 2.7 for predicting the clinically more effective contacts.

CONCLUSIONS

The combined use of LFPs beta power and neuroimaging localization and segmentations predict which are the most effective contacts as selected on the basis of clinical programming after one year from implant of DBS. The use of predictors in contact selection could guide clinical programming and reduce time needed for it.

Effects of deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus on patients with Parkinson's disease: a machine-learning voice analysis

Introduction

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) can exert relevant effects on the voice of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this study, we used artificial intelligence to objectively analyze the voices of PD patients with STN-DBS.

Materials and methods

In a cross-sectional study, we enrolled 108 controls and 101 patients with PD. The cohort of PD was divided into two groups: the first group included 50 patients with STN-DBS, and the second group included 51 patients receiving the best medical treatment. The voices were clinically evaluated using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part-III subitem for voice (UPDRS-III-v). We recorded and then analyzed voices using specific machine-learning algorithms. The likelihood ratio (LR) was also calculated as an objective measure for clinical-instrumental correlations.

Results

Clinically, voice impairment was greater in STN-DBS patients than in those who received oral treatment. Using machine learning, we objectively and accurately distinguished between the voices of STN-DBS patients and those under oral treatments. We also found significant clinical-instrumental correlations since the greater the LRs, the higher the UPDRS-III-v scores.

Discussion

STN-DBS deteriorates speech in patients with PD, as objectively demonstrated by machine-learning voice analysis.

Postural Instability and Risk of Falls in Patients with Parkinson's Disease Treated with Deep Brain Stimulation: A Stabilometric Platform Study

Postural instability (PI) in Parkinson's disease (PD) exposes patients to an increased risk of falls (RF). While dopaminergic therapy and deep brain stimulation (DBS) improve motor performance in advanced PD patients, their effects on PI and RF remain elusive. PI and RF were assessed using a stabilometric platform in six advanced PD patients. Patients were evaluated in OFF and ON dopaminergic medication and under four DBS settings: with DBS off, DBS bilateral, and unilateral DBS of the more- or less-affected side. Our findings indicate that dopaminergic medication by itself exacerbated PI and RF, and DBS alone led to a decline in RF. No combination of medication and DBS yielded a superior improvement in postural control compared to the baseline combination of OFF medication and the DBS-off condition. Yet, for ON medication, DBS significantly improved both PI and RF. Among DBS conditions, DBS bilateral provided the most favorable outcomes, improving PI and RF in the ON medication state and presenting the smallest setbacks in the OFF state. Conversely, the more-affected side DBS was less beneficial. These preliminary results could inform therapeutic strategies for advanced PD patients experiencing postural disorders.

Clinical correlates of "pure" essential tremor: the TITAN study

Background

To date, there are no large studies delineating the clinical correlates of "pure" essential tremor (ET) according to its new definition.

Methods

From the ITAlian tremor Network (TITAN) database, we extracted data from patients with a diagnosis of "pure" ET and excluded those with other tremor classifications, including ET-plus, focal, and task-specific tremor, which were formerly considered parts of the ET spectrum.

Results

Out of 653 subjects recruited in the TITAN study by January 2022, the data of 208 (31.8%) "pure" ET patients (86M/122F) were analyzed. The distribution of age at onset was found to be bimodal. The proportion of familial cases by the age-at-onset class of 20 years showed significant differences, with sporadic cases representing the large majority of the class with an age at onset above 60 years. Patients with a positive family history of tremor had a younger onset and were more likely to have leg involvement than sporadic patients despite a similar disease duration. Early-onset and late-onset cases were different in terms of tremor distribution at onset and tremor severity, likely as a function of longer disease duration, yet without differences in terms of quality of life, which suggests a relatively benign progression. Treatment patterns and outcomes revealed that up to 40% of the sample was unsatisfied with the current pharmacological options.

Discussion

The findings reported in the study provide new insights, especially with regard to a possible inversed sex distribution, and to the genetic backgrounds of "pure" ET, given that familial cases were evenly distributed across age-at-onset classes of 20 years. Deep clinical profiling of "pure" ET, for instance, according to age at onset, might increase the clinical value of this syndrome in identifying pathogenetic hypotheses and therapeutic strategies.

Common and Rare Variants in TMEM175 Gene Concur to the Pathogenesis of Parkinson's Disease in Italian Patients

Parkinson's disease (PD) represents the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder. We recently identified 16 novel genes associated with PD. In this study, we focused the attention on the common and rare variants identified in the lysosomal K⁺ channel TMEM175. The study includes a detailed clinical and genetic analysis of 400 cases and 300 controls. Molecular studies were performed on patient-derived fibroblasts. The functional properties of the mutant channels were assessed by patch-clamp technique and co-immunoprecipitation. We have found that TMEM175 was highly expressed in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta and in microglia of the cerebral cortex of the human brain. Four common variants were associated with PD, including two novel variants rs2290402 (c.-10C > T) and rs80114247 (c.T1022C, p.M341T), located in the Kozak consensus sequence and TM3II domain, respectively. We also disclosed 13 novel highly penetrant detrimental mutations in the TMEM175 gene associated with PD. At least nine of these mutations (p.R35C, p. R183X, p.A270T, p.P308L, p.S348L, p. L405V, p.R414W, p.P427fs, p.R481W) may be sufficient to cause the disease, and the presence of mutations of other genes correlated with an earlier disease onset. In vitro functional analysis of the ion channel encoded by the mutated TMEM175 gene revealed a loss of the K⁺ conductance and a reduced channel affinity for Akt. Moreover, we observed an impaired autophagic/lysosomal proteolytic flux and an increase expression of unfolded protein response markers in patient-derived fibroblasts. These data suggest that mutations in TMEM175 gene may contribute to the pathophysiology of PD.

Rehabilitation Interventions for Improving Balance in Parkinson's Disease: A Narrative Review

INTRODUCTION

Postural instability is one of the latest clinical manifestations of Parkinson disease. Because of the limited therapeutic effect of pharmacological therapies, a favorable consideration has now become toward rehabilitation interventions. Thus, this study aimed to synthesize literature evidence to summarize the effects of rehabilitation interventions for improving balance in Parkinson disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a narrative review of randomized-controlled clinical trials comparing the effects of interventions, control interventions, and no interventions on balance-related outcomes. A comprehensive search using the MEDLINE database was conducted from January 2000 to September 2021. This review included the following causes of balance-related impairments: inability to control body weight in the base of support, impaired attention and focus on balance, postural deformities, proprioceptive deficiency, sensory-motor integration, and coordination disorders, including visual and auditory-motor coordination.

RESULTS

Twenty randomized-controlled clinical trials were included in the review. Various balance-related outcomes were included. The included studies focused on the effectiveness of different rehabilitation interventions, including physical therapy, virtual reality and telerehabilitation, treadmill training, hydrotherapy, action observation training, balance and cues training interventions, and cognitive rehabilitation.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that most of the included rehabilitation interventions have promising therapeutic effects in improving balance in Parkinson disease.

Levodopa Equivalent Dose of Safinamide: a multicenter, longitudinal, case‐control study

Background

Effects of dopaminergic medications used to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) may be compared with each other by using conversion factors, calculated as Levodopa equivalent dose (LED). However, current LED proposals on MAO-B inhibitors (iMAO-B) safinamide and rasagiline are still based on empirical approaches.

Objectives

To estimate LED of safinamide 50 and 100 mg.

Methods

In this multicenter, longitudinal, case-control study, we retrospectively reviewed clinical charts of 500 consecutive PD patients with motor complications and treated with (i) safinamide 100 mg (N = 130), safinamide 50 mg (N = 144), or rasagiline 1 mg (N = 97) for 9 ± 3 months and a control group of patients never treated with any iMAO-B (N = 129).

Results

Major baseline features (age, sex, disease duration and stage, severity of motor signs and motor complications) were similar among the groups. Patients on rasagiline had lower UPDRS-II scores and Levodopa dose than control subjects. After a mean follow-up of 8.8-to-10.1 months, patients on Safinamide 50 mg and 100 mg had lower UPDRS-III and OFF-related UPDRS-IV scores than control subjects, who in turn had larger increase in total LED than the three iMAO-B groups. After adjusting for age, disease duration, duration of follow-up, baseline values and taking change in UPDRS-III scores into account (sensitivity analysis), safinamide 100 mg corresponded to 125 mg LED, whereas safinamide 50 mg and rasagiline 1 mg equally corresponded to 100 mg LED.

Conclusions

We used a rigorous approach to calculate LED of safinamide 50 and 100 mg. Large prospective pragmatic trials are needed to replicate our findings.

Ataxia Rating Scales: Content Analysis by Linking to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health

Ataxia management is mainly based on rehabilitation, symptomatic management, and functional improvement. Therefore, it is important to comprehensively assess ataxic symptoms and their impact on function. Recently, the movement disorders society recommended four generic ataxia rating scales: scale for assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA), international cooperative ataxia rating scales, Friedreich's ataxia rating scale (FARS), and unified multiple system atrophy rating scale (UMSARS). The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the content of the recommended ataxia rating scales by linking them to the international classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF). A total of 125 meaningful concepts from 93 items of the four included scales were linked to 57 different ICF categories. The ICF categories were distributed in body structure (n = 8), body function (n = 26), activity and participation (n = 20), and environmental factors (n = 3) components. UMSARS and FARS were the only ones that have addressed the body structure or environmental factors component. The content analysis of ataxia rating scales would help clinicians and researchers select the most appropriate scale and understand ataxic symptoms and their impact on function. It seems that SARA is the optimal scale for rapid assessment of ataxia or in busy clinical settings. UMSARS or FARS are more appropriate for the investigating the impact of ataxia on overall health, and monitoring ataxia progression and disability.

Data-driven clustering of combined Functional Motor Disorders based on the Italian registry

Introduction

Functional Motor Disorders (FMDs) represent nosological entities with no clear phenotypic characterization, especially in patients with multiple (combined FMDs) motor manifestations. A data-driven approach using cluster analysis of clinical data has been proposed as an analytic method to obtain non-hierarchical unbiased classifications. The study aimed to identify clinical subtypes of combined FMDs using a data-driven approach to overcome possible limits related to “a priori” classifications and clinical overlapping.

Methods

Data were obtained by the Italian Registry of Functional Motor Disorders. Patients identified with multiple or “combined” FMDs by standardized clinical assessments were selected to be analyzed. Non-hierarchical cluster analysis was performed based on FMDs phenomenology. Multivariate analysis was then performed after adjustment for principal confounding variables.

Results

From a study population of n = 410 subjects with FMDs, we selected n = 188 subjects [women: 133 (70.7%); age: 47.9 ± 14.4 years; disease duration: 6.4 ± 7.7 years] presenting combined FMDs to be analyzed. Based on motor phenotype, two independent clusters were identified: Cluster C1 (n = 82; 43.6%) and Cluster C2 (n = 106; 56.4%). Cluster C1 was characterized by functional tremor plus parkinsonism as the main clinical phenotype. Cluster C2 mainly included subjects with functional weakness. Cluster C1 included older subjects suffering from anxiety who were more treated with botulinum toxin and antiepileptics. Cluster C2 included younger subjects referring to different associated symptoms, such as pain, headache, and visual disturbances, who were more treated with antidepressants.

Conclusion

Using a data-driven approach of clinical data from the Italian registry, we differentiated clinical subtypes among combined FMDs to be validated by prospective studies.

Do demographic and clinical features and comorbidities affect the risk of spread to an additional body site in functional motor disorders?

The aim of this study is to assess changes in the body distribution and the semeiology of functional motor disorder (FMD) in patients who reported only one or more than one body site affected at FMD onset. Data were obtained from the Italian Registry of Functional Motor Disorders, which included patients with a diagnosis of clinically definite FMDs. The relationship between FMD features and spread to other body sites was estimated by multivariate Cox regression analysis. We identified 201 (49%) patients who reported only one body site affected at FMD onset and 209 (51%) who reported multiple body sites affected at onset. FMD spread from the initial site to another site in 43/201 (21.4%) patients over 5.7 ± 7.1 years in those with only one site affected at FMD onset; FMD spread to an another body site in 29/209 (13.8%) over 5.5 ± 6.5 years. The spread of FMD was associated with non-motor functional symptoms and psychiatric comorbidities only in the patients with one body site affected at FMD onset. Our findings provide novel insight into the natural history of FMD. The number of body sites affected at onset does not seem to have a consistent influence on the risk of spread. Furthermore, our findings suggest that psychiatric comorbidities and non-motor functional symptoms may predict the spread of FMD symptoms, at least in patients with one body site affected at onset.

The Italian tremor Network (TITAN): rationale, design and preliminary findings

INTRODUCTION

The recently released classification has revised the nosology of tremor, defining essential tremor (ET) as a syndrome and fueling an enlightened debate about some newly conceptualized entities such as ET-plus. As a result, precise information of demographics, clinical features, and about the natural history of these conditions are lacking.

METHODS

The ITAlian tremor Network (TITAN) is a multicenter data collection platform, the aim of which is to prospectively assess, according to a standardized protocol, the phenomenology and natural history of tremor syndromes.

RESULTS

In the first year of activity, 679 patients have been recruited. The frequency of tremor syndromes varied from 32% of ET and 41% of ET-plus to less than 3% of rare forms, including focal tremors (2.30%), task-specific tremors (1.38%), isolated rest tremor (0.61%), and orthostatic tremor (0.61%). Patients with ET-plus were older and had a higher age at onset than ET, but a shorter disease duration, which might suggest that ET-plus is not a disease stage of ET. Familial aggregation of tremor and movement disorders was present in up to 60% of ET cases and in about 40% of patients with tremor combined with dystonia. The body site of tremor onset was different between tremor syndromes, with head tremor being most commonly, but not uniquely, associated with dystonia.

CONCLUSIONS

The TITAN study is anticipated to provide clinically relevant prospective information about the clinical correlates of different tremor syndromes and their specific outcomes and might serve as a basis for future etiological, pathophysiological, and therapeutic research.

Relationship between risk and protective factors and clinical features of Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

Non-genetic risk factors play a relevant role in Parkinson's disease (PD) development but the relationship between these factors and PD clinical features is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present multicenter study was to investigate possible relationship between risk factors and clinical motor and non-motor features in a large sample of PD patients.

METHODS

Six hundred ninety-four patients with PD participated. Patients underwent a clinical evaluation assessing motor symptoms and motor complications as well as non-motor symptoms severity. Information regarding pharmacological treatment was also collected. Risk and protective factors were previously identified in the present population and included coffee consumption, cigarette smoking, and physical activity as protective factors and a family history of PD, dyspepsia, exposure to toxic agents and general anesthesia as risk factors. Multiple regression models were used to investigate the relationship between risk factors and clinical variables.

RESULTS

Coffee consumption predicted older age at onset (B: 0.527; CI: 0.195; 0.858) and milder motor symptom severity (B: 1.383; CI: 2.646; -0.121). Non-motor symptom severity was more severe in patients with dyspepsia before PD (B: 13.601; CI 5.019; 22.182) and milder in patients who performed physical activity before PD (B: 11.355; CI: 16.443; -6.266). We found no relationship between risk factors and motor complications, motor subtype and pharmacological treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Risk and protective factors of PD development may influence PD clinical features. This finding may represent the first step in the development of new preventive approaches able to delay disease onset and mitigate the extent of clinical manifestations.

Exome-wide association study of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease

Levodopa is the standard long-term dopamine replacement therapy to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) symptoms. With time, levodopa may induce debilitating dyskinesias (LID), the treatment of which represents a large clinically unmet need. However, time-to-LID onset varies between patients, reflecting a possible genetic component. We performed an hypothesis-free whole-exome sequencing (WES)-based screening of time-to-LID onset and attempted replication of previously published candidate gene studies. A WES association analysis was carried out in 134 PD patients in a meta-analytical framework. Replication was attempted in an independent study of 97 PD patients. Variants from previously reported candidate genes (OPRM1, COMT, BDNF) were also specifically examined. We significantly replicated, for the first time, an association of variant rs1799971 in the OPRM1 gene with time-to-LID onset. Furthermore, we identified two novel potentially functional variants, in the MAD2L2 (rs2233019) and MAP7 (rs35350783) genes, which were significantly associated at the discovery stage. In the replication study, the two variants showed direction-consistent effects but did not achieve the replication significance threshold. Our study provides the first WES results for time-to-LID onset, where we replicate association at OPRM1, and suggest new variants in MAD2L2 and MAP7 genes that are significant in discovery, but require larger datasets for replication. The results are being made publicly available to allow for independent external validation.

Functional gait disorders: Demographic and clinical correlations

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to describe the prevalence and clinical-demographical features of patients with functional gait disorders (FGDs) and to compare them to patients with functional motor disorders (FMDs) without FGDs (No-FGDs).

METHODS

In this multicenter observational study, we enrolled patients with a clinically definite diagnosis of FMDs in 25 tertiary movement disorders centers in Italy. Each subject with FMDs underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment, including screening for different subtypes of functional gait disorders. Multivariate regression models were implemented in order to estimate the adjusted odds ratio (OR; 95% confidence interval) of having FGDs in relation to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics.

RESULTS

Out of 410 FMDs, 26.6% (n = 109) of patients exhibited FGDs. The most frequent FGDs were slow gait (n = 43, 39.4%), astasia-abasia (n = 26, 23.8%), and knee buckling (n = 24, 22%). They exhibited single FGDs in 51.4% (n = 56) or complex FGDs (more than one type of FGDs) in 48.6% (n = 53) of cases. On multivariate regression analysis, the presence of FGDs was more likely associated with older age (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01-1.04), functional visual symptoms (OR 2.19, 95% CI 1.08-4.45), and the diagnosis of somatic symptoms disorder (OR 2.97, 95% CI 1.08-8.17). FGDs were also more likely to undergo physiotherapy (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.08-3.03).

CONCLUSIONS

People with FMDs may present with different and overlapping types of FGDs, which may occur in older age. The association of FGDs with functional visual symptoms and somatic symptoms disorder opens up to new avenues to the understanding of the neural mechanisms of these disorders.

Identification of sixteen novel candidate genes for late onset Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder affecting 1-5% of the general population for which neither effective cure nor early diagnostic tools are available that could tackle the pathology in the early phase. Here we report a multi-stage procedure to identify candidate genes likely involved in the etiopathogenesis of PD.

METHODS

The study includes a discovery stage based on the analysis of whole exome data from 26 dominant late onset PD families, a validation analysis performed on 1542 independent PD patients and 706 controls from different cohorts and the assessment of polygenic variants load in the Italian cohort (394 unrelated patients and 203 controls).

RESULTS

Family-based approach identified 28 disrupting variants in 26 candidate genes for PD including PARK2, PINK1, DJ-1(PARK7), LRRK2, HTRA2, FBXO7, EIF4G1, DNAJC6, DNAJC13, SNCAIP, AIMP2, CHMP1A, GIPC1, HMOX2, HSPA8, IMMT, KIF21B, KIF24, MAN2C1, RHOT2, SLC25A39, SPTBN1, TMEM175, TOMM22, TVP23A and ZSCAN21. Sixteen of them have not been associated to PD before, were expressed in mesencephalon and were involved in pathways potentially deregulated in PD. Mutation analysis in independent cohorts disclosed a significant excess of highly deleterious variants in cases (p = 0.0001), supporting their role in PD. Moreover, we demonstrated that the co-inheritance of multiple rare variants (≥ 2) in the 26 genes may predict PD occurrence in about 20% of patients, both familial and sporadic cases, with high specificity (> 93%; p = 4.4 × 10- 5). Moreover, our data highlight the fact that the genetic landmarks of late onset PD does not systematically differ between sporadic and familial forms, especially in the case of small nuclear families and underline the importance of rare variants in the genetics of sporadic PD. Furthermore, patients carrying multiple rare variants showed higher risk of manifesting dyskinesia induced by levodopa treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Besides confirming the extreme genetic heterogeneity of PD, these data provide novel insights into the genetic of the disease and may be relevant for its prediction, diagnosis and treatment.

Functional motor phenotypes: to lump or to split?

INTRODUCTION

Functional motor disorders (FMDs) are usually categorized according to the predominant phenomenology; however, it is unclear whether this phenotypic classification mirrors the underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the characteristics of patients with different FMDs phenotypes and without co-morbid neurological disorders, aiming to answer the question of whether they represent different expressions of the same disorder or reflect distinct entities.

METHODS

Consecutive outpatients with a clinically definite diagnosis of FMDs were included in the Italian registry of functional motor disorders (IRFMD), a multicenter data collection platform gathering several clinical and demographic variables. To the aim of the current work, data of patients with isolated FMDs were extracted.

RESULTS

A total of 176 patients were included: 58 with weakness, 40 with tremor, 38 with dystonia, 23 with jerks/facial FMDs, and 17 with gait disorders. Patients with tremor and gait disorders were older than the others. Patients with functional weakness had more commonly an acute onset (87.9%) than patients with tremor and gait disorders, a shorter time lag from symptoms onset and FMDs diagnosis (2.9 ± 3.5 years) than patients with dystonia, and had more frequently associated functional sensory symptoms (51.7%) than patients with tremor, dystonia and gait disorders. Patients with dystonia complained more often of associated pain (47.4%) than patients with tremor. No other differences were noted between groups in terms of other variables including associated functional neurological symptoms, psychiatric comorbidities, and predisposing or precipitating factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data support the evidence of a large overlap between FMD phenotypes.

Analysis of Genetic and Non-genetic Predictors of Levodopa Induced Dyskinesia in Parkinson's Disease

Background: Levodopa (L-Dopa), representing the therapeutic gold standard for the treatment of Parkinson disease (PD), is associated with side effects like L-Dopa induced dyskinesia (LID). Although several non-genetic and genetic factors have been investigated for association with LID risk, contrasting results were reported and its genetic basis remain largely unexplored.

Methods: In an Italian PD cohort (N = 460), we first performed stepwise multivariable Cox Proportional Hazard regressions modeling LID risk as a function of gender, PD familiarity, clinical subtype, weight, age-at-onset (AAO) and years-of-disease (YOD), L-Dopa dosage, severity scores, and scales assessing motor (UPDRS-III), cognitive (MoCA), and non-motor symptoms (NMS). Then we enriched the resulting model testing two variants—rs356219 and D4S3481—increasing the expression of the SNCA gene, previously suggested as a potential mechanism of LID onset. To account for more complex (non-linear) relations of these variables with LID risk, we built a survival random forest (SRF) algorithm including all the covariates mentioned above.

Results: Among tested variables (N = 460 case-complete, 211 LID events; total follow-up 31,361 person-months, median 61 months), disease duration showed significant association (p < 0.005), with 6 (3–8)% decrease of LID risk per additional YOD. Other nominally significant associations were observed for gender—with women showing a 39 (5–82)% higher risk of LID—and AAO, with 2 (0.3–3)% decrease of risk for each year increase of PD onset. The SRF algorithm confirmed YOD as the most prominent feature influencing LID risk, with a variable importance of about 8% in the model. In genetic models, no statistically significant effects on incident LID risk was observed.

Conclusions: This evidence supports a protective effect of late PD onset and gender (men) against LID risk and suggests a new independent protective factor, YOD. Moreover, it underlines the importance of personalized therapeutic protocols for PD patients in the future.

Functional motor disorders associated with other neurological diseases: Beyond the boundaries of "organic" neurology

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The aims of this study were to describe the clinical manifestations of functional motor disorders (FMDs) coexisting with other neurological diseases ("comorbid FMDs"), and to compare comorbid FMDs with FMDs not overlapping with other neurological diseases ("pure FMDs").

METHODS

For this multicenter observational study, we enrolled outpatients with a definite FMD diagnosis attending 25 tertiary movement disorder centers in Italy. Each patient with FMDs underwent a detailed clinical assessment including screening for other associated neurological conditions. Group comparisons (comorbid FMDs vs. pure FMDs) were performed in order to compare demographic and clinical variables. Logistic regression models were created to estimate the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of comorbid FMDs (dependent variable) in relation to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (independent variables).

RESULTS

Out of 410 FMDs, 21.7% of patients (n = 89) had comorbid FMDs. The most frequent coexisting neurological diseases were migraine, cerebrovascular disease and parkinsonism. In the majority of cases (86.5%), FMDs appeared after the diagnosis of a neurological disease. Patients with comorbid FMDs were older, and more frequently had tremor, non-neurological comorbidities, paroxysmal non-epileptic seizures, major depressive disorders, and benzodiazepine intake. Multivariate regression analysis showed that diagnosis of comorbid FMDs was more likely associated with longer time lag until the final diagnosis of FMD, presence of tremor and non-neurological comorbidities.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings highlight the need for prompt diagnosis of FMDs, given the relatively high frequency of associated neurological and non-neurological diseases.

Effects of Prismatic Lenses on Lateral Axial Dystonia in Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE: In Parkinson's disease (PD), postural abnormalities such as lateral axial dystonia (LAD) are relatively common. Evidence suggests that both peripheral and central mechanisms contribute to these postural abnormalities. We previously reported an improvement in LAD following the use of prisms in two PD patients. Here, we further investigate the effects of prismatic lenses in a case series of nine patients with PD and LAD. METHODS: Nine patients underwent an orthoptic evaluation and were provided with prismatic lenses. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after one and three months of permanent prismatic lens use and again re-evaluated one month after the discontinuation of prismatic lens use. RESULTS: We found a linear relationship between disease duration and LAD severity. Compared to basal measurements, we observed a slight improvement in LAD. Furthermore, we found a significant reduction in self-perceived back pain due to the use of prismatic lenses. There was no significant association between the individual effects of prismatic lenses in patients with PD and their baseline LAD or other clinical and demographic features (all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The present pilot study provides novel data on the possible effectiveness of prismatic lenses for LAD treatment in PD patients.

Levodopa-carbidopa intrajejunal infusion in Parkinson's disease: untangling the role of age

OBJECTIVES

Levodopa-Carbidopa Intrajejunal gel (LCIG) infusion is an effective intervention for people with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Although age may not be a limiting factor for LCIG implant, no data are available on late elderly PD (LE-PD) subjects. In this cross-sectional, we aimed to demonstrate if older age may impact on quality of life (QoL), motor and non-motor symptoms severity, and profile of side effects in PD treated with LCIG.

METHODS

Out of 512 PD subjects treated with LCIG at 9 Italian PD centers, we selected 25 LE-PD defined as age ≥ 80 years at last follow-up who were available to attend the study visit. Twenty-five PD patients (Control-PD, defined as age < 75 years at last follow-up) matched to LE-PD by disease and LCIG duration served as control group. The following motor and non-motor variables were ascertained: quality of life (PDQ-8), time spent in ON, wearing-off Questionnaire, Unified PD Rating Scale, freezing of gait questionnaire, Parkinson's disease sleep scale-2, Non Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS), and MOCA.

RESULTS

No statistically significant differences were found between LE-PD and Control-PD on PDQ-8 and several motor and non-motor variables. LE-PD had less frequent and milder impulsive-compulsive behaviors and milder dyskinesia. At multivariable regression, worse quality of life was associated with UPDRS-III and NMSS scores but not to age at study visit and age at LICG implant. Rate of adverse effects was similar in both groups. Drop-out rate calculated in the whole PD cohort was comparable between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Our data provide evidence that valuable LCIG infusion might be achieved in late elderly PD.

Osteoporotic fracture and conservative management in Parkinson's disease and Pisa syndrome: Case report

Osteoporotic fractures (OF) may occur without major trauma or injury. This case reports present a spine OF in Parkinson's disease (PD) and Pisa syndrome (PS). A 75-years-old woman diagnosed with PD for 19 years and PS has been developed. She recently has acute and severe low back pain. No recent injury or fall. After clinical examination and radiograph imaging, moderate wedge compression OF at L2 was revealed without a spinal cord or nerve compression. A program of conservative treatment was applied include antiosteoporotic supplementary, 6-days of bed rest, spine orthosis, and 10-weeks of exercises. The study adapted to use the following outcomes: visual analogues scale for low back pain, wall goniometer for lateral trunk flexion, and Oswesrty disability index for disability. After the intervention, the outcomes were improved as these values: visual analogues scales 7 points, lateral trunk flexion 20°, and Oswesrty disability index 60%. The case report suggests that the posture deformity as PS in PD may increase the risk of spine OF. The conservative treatment could be beneficial and safe for the OF in PD and PS. Further studies are required to confirm the role of PD postural deformities in OF and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

Clinical Correlates of Functional Motor Disorders: An Italian Multicenter Study

Background

Functional motor disorders (FMDs) are abnormal movements that are significantly altered by distractive maneuvers and are incongruent with movement disorders seen in typical neurological diseases.

Objective

The objectives of this article are to (1) describe the clinical manifestations of FMDs, including nonmotor symptoms and occurrence of other functional neurological disorders (FND); and (2) to report the frequency of isolated and combined FMDs and their relationship with demographic and clinical variables.

Methods

For this multicenter, observational study, we enrolled consecutive outpatients with a definite diagnosis of FMDs attending 25 tertiary movement disorders centers in Italy. Each patient underwent a detailed clinical evaluation with a definition of the phenotype and number of FMDs (isolated, combined) and an assessment of associated neurological and psychiatric symptoms.

Results

Of 410 FMDs (71% females; mean age, 47 ± 16.1 years) the most common phenotypes were weakness and tremor. People with FMDs had higher educational levels than the general population and frequent nonmotor symptoms, especially anxiety, fatigue, and pain. Almost half of the patients with FMDs had other FNDs, such as sensory symptoms, nonepileptic seizures, and visual symptoms. Patients with combined FMDs showed a higher burden of nonmotor symptoms and more frequent FNDs. Multivariate regression analysis showed that a diagnosis of combined FMDs was more likely to be delivered by a movement disorders neurologist. Also, FMD duration, pain, insomnia, diagnosis of somatoform disease, and treatment with antipsychotics were all significantly associated with combined FMDs.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the need for multidimensional assessments in patients with FMDs given the high frequency of nonmotor symptoms and other FNDs, especially in patients with combined FMDs.

Risk factors of Parkinson disease: Simultaneous assessment, interactions, and etiologic subtypes

OBJECTIVE

To perform a simultaneous evaluation of potential risk/protective factors of Parkinson disease (PD) to identify independent risk/protective factors, to assess interaction among factors, and to determine whether identified risk factors predict etiologic subtypes of PD.

METHODS

We designed a large case-control study assessing 31 protective/risk factors of PD, including environmental and lifestyle factors, comorbid conditions, and drugs. The study enrolled 694 patients with PD and 640 healthy controls from 6 neurologic centers. Data were analyzed by logistic regression models, additive interaction models, and cluster analysis.

RESULTS

The simultaneous assessment of 31 putative risk/protective factors of PD showed that only coffee consumption (odds ratio [OR] 0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4-0.9), smoking (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.9), physical activity (OR 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.9), family history of PD (OR 3.2, 95% CI 2.2-4.8), dyspepsia (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.4), and exposure to pesticides (OR 2.3, 95% CI1.3-4.2), oils (OR 5.6, 95% CI 2.3-13.7), metals (OR 2.8, 95% CI 1.5-5.4), and general anesthesia (OR 6.1, 95% CI 2.9-12.7) were independently associated with PD. There was no evidence of interaction among risk/protective factors, but cluster analysis identified 4 subtypes with different risk factor profiles. In group 1, all patients had a family history of PD, while dyspepsia or exposure to toxic agents was present in 30% of patients. In groups 2 and 3, a family history of PD was lacking, while exposure to toxic agents (group 2) and dyspepsia (group 3) played major roles. Group 4 consisted of patients with no risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that 9 factors independently modify PD risk by coexisting in the same patient rather than interacting with others. Our study suggests the need for future preventive strategies aimed at reducing the coexistence of different risk factors within the same participant.

Motor and Sensory Features of Cervical Dystonia Subtypes: Data From the Italian Dystonia Registry

Introduction: Cervical dystonia (CD) is one of the most common forms of adult-onset isolated dystonia. Recently, CD has been classified according to the site of onset and spread, in different clinical subgroups, that may represent different clinical entities or pathophysiologic subtypes. In order to support this hypothesis, in this study we have evaluated whether different subgroups of CD, that clinically differ for site of onset and spread, also imply different sensorimotor features.

Methods: Clinical and demographic data from 842 patients with CD from the Italian Dystonia Registry were examined. Motor features (head tremor and tremor elsewhere) and sensory features (sensory trick and neck pain) were investigated. We analyzed possible associations between motor and sensory features in CD subgroups [focal neck onset, no spread (FNO-NS); focal neck onset, segmental spread (FNO-SS); focal onset elsewhere with segmental spread to neck (FOE-SS); segmental neck involvement without spread (SNI)].

Results: In FNO-NS, FOE-SS, and SNI subgroups, head tremor was associated with the presence of tremor elsewhere. Sensory trick was associated with pain in patients with FNO-NS and with head tremor in patients with FNO-SS.

Conclusion: The frequent association between head tremor and tremor elsewhere may suggest a common pathophysiological mechanism. Two mechanisms may be hypothesized for sensory trick: a gating mechanism attempting to reduce pain and a sensorimotor mechanism attempting to control tremor.

Should We Consider Deep Brain Stimulation Discontinuation in Late-Stage Parkinson's Disease?

BACKGROUND

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) effects may decrease with Parkinson's disease (PD) progression. There is no indication if, when, and how to consider the interruption of DBS treatment in late-stage PD. The objective of the current study was to investigate the percentage of "poor stimulation responders" among late-stage PD patients for elaborating an algorithm to decide whether and when DBS discontinuation may be considered.

METHODS

Late-stage PD patients (Hoehn Yahr stage ≥4 and Schwab and England Scale <50 in medication on/stimulation on condition) treated with STN-DBS for at least 5 years underwent a crossover, double-blind, randomized evaluation of acute effects of stimulation. Physicians, caregivers, and patients were blinded to stimulation conditions. Poor stimulation responders (MDS-UPDRS part III change <10% between stimulation on/medication off and stimulation off/medication off) maintained the stimulation off/medication on condition for 1 month for open-label assessment.

RESULTS

Thirty-six patients were included. The acute effect of stimulation was significant (17% MDS-UPDRS part III), with 80% of patients classified as "good responders." Seven patients were classified as "poor stimulation responders," and the stimulation was switched off, but in 4 cases the stimulation was switched back "on" because of worsening of parkinsonism and dysphagia with a variable time delay (up to 10 days). No serious adverse effects occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

The vast majority of late-stage PD patients (92%) show a meaningful response to STN-DBS. Effects of stimulation may take days to disappear after its discontinuation. We present a safe and effective decisional algorithm that could guide physicians and caregivers in making challenging therapeutic decisions in late-stage PD. © 2020 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Long-term effectiveness of levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel on motor and non-motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson's disease: results of the Italian GLORIA patient population

Introduction

The GLORIA registry included 375 advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients and evaluated the efficacy and safety of a 24-month levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) treatment in routine medical care. This analysis focuses on the Italian population, 60 patients treated with LCIG in 7 specialised PD care centres.

Methods

Hours of “Off” and “On” time were assessed with a modified version of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part IV items 39 and 32. Motor fluctuations, dyskinesia, non-motor symptoms, quality of life and safety were evaluated.

Results

Overall, 42 (70%) out of 60 patients completed the registry. LCIG treatment reduced “Off” time (− 3.3 ± 2.7 h at month 24 (M24), P < 0.0001), increased “On” time with dyskinesia (− 2.6 ± 5.2 h at M12, P = 0.0160), and improved UPDRS II and UPDRS III total scores at M24 (− 4.5 ± 10.6, P = 0.0333 and − 4.9 ± 11.7, P = 0.0229, respectively), Non-Motor Symptom Scale (NMSS) total score (− 21.8 ± 28.5, P < 0.0001) and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-8 item (PDQ-8) total score (− 12.5 ± 23.9, P = 0.0173) versus previous oral therapy. Adverse drug reactions (ADR) possibly or probably related to treatment were reported in 16 (28.6%) patients. Decreased weight (7.1%), polyneuropathy (7.1%) and abdominal pain (5.4%) were the most frequent ADRs while device malfunction (5.4%) and medical device change (5.4%) were the most reported device complaints.

Conclusions

LCIG improved motor fluctuations, non-motor symptoms and quality of life over 24 months while tolerability was consistent with the established safety profile.

Whole Exome Sequencing Study of Parkinson Disease and Related Endophenotypes in the Italian Population

Parkinson Disease (PD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by large genetic heterogeneity and missing heritability. Since the genetic background of PD can partly vary among ethnicities and neurological scales have been scarcely investigated in a PD setting, we performed an exploratory Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) analysis of 123 PD patients from mainland Italy, investigating scales assessing motor (UPDRS), cognitive (MoCA), and other non-motor symptoms (NMS). We performed variant prioritization, followed by targeted association testing of prioritized variants in 446 PD cases and 211 controls. Then we ran Exome-Wide Association Scans (EWAS) within sequenced PD cases (N = 113), testing both motor and non-motor PD endophenotypes, as well as their associations with Polygenic Risk Scores (PRS) influencing brain subcortical volumes. We identified a variant associated with PD, rs201330591 in GTF2H2 (5q13; alternative T allele: OR [CI] = 8.16[1.08; 61.52], FDR = 0.048), which was not replicated in an independent cohort of European ancestry (1,148 PD cases, 503 controls). In the EWAS, polygenic analyses revealed statistically significant multivariable associations of amygdala- [β(SE) = -0.039(0.013); FDR = 0.039] and caudate-PRS [0.043(0.013); 0.028] with motor symptoms. All subcortical PRSs in a multivariable model notably increased the variance explained in motor (adjusted-R2 = 38.6%), cognitive (32.2%) and other non-motor symptoms (28.9%), compared to baseline models (~20%). Although, the small sample size warrants further replications, these findings suggest shared genetic architecture between PD symptoms and subcortical structures, and provide interesting clues on PD genetic and neuroimaging features.

Impact of Supporting People with Advanced Parkinson's Disease on Carer's Quality of Life and Burden

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to assess the burden and the quality of life (QoL) perceived by caregivers assisting advanced Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Consecutive advanced PD patients treated with levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) or continuous subcutaneous apomorphine infusion (CSAI) or care as usual (CU) and their care partners were recruited during routine visits according to a cross-sectional design. Caregiver's distress was assessed by Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) and a QoL survey to evaluate and understand the burden experienced by care partners during family and working activities.

RESULTS

A total of 126 patients (53 LCIG, 19 CSAI and 54 CU) and their care partners were enrolled. The ZBI score boxplot showed that LCIG and CU populations have a similar distribution (ZBI inter-quartile range [IQR] values respectively 18-42 for LCIG and 19-43 for CU group), while the CSAI group has a wider score range (IQR 16-52). Caregivers assisting patients in treatment with LCIG have more time to perform family or household duties (p=0.0022), or to engage in leisure activities (p=0.0073) compared to CU, while no difference was found when compared to CSAI group. Approximately 50% of the care partners showed mood changes in the last 6 months and LCIG and CSAI had less impact on caregiver's mood compared to CU. Patients treated with LCIG were more independent in taking a bath or shower without assistance and were more able to move and walk without assistance.

CONCLUSION

Care partners of advanced PD patients treated with device-aided therapies have more time for their own life and a better perception of their QoL with a tendency to an improvement of mood compared with those of patients treated with CU.

Abnormal Cerebellar Connectivity Patterns in Patients with Parkinson's Disease and Freezing of Gait

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the importance of cerebellum in freezing of gait (FOG) pathophysiology. Due to the fundamental role of the cerebellum in posture and gait control, we examined cerebellar structural and functional connectivity (FC) in patients with PD and FOG. We recruited 15 PD with FOG (PD-FOG), 16 PD without FOG (PD-nFOG) patients, and 16 healthy subjects (HS). The FOG Questionnaire (FOG-Q) assessed FOG severity. Three tesla-MRI study included resting-state functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and 3D T1-w images. We located seed regions in the cerebellar locomotor region, fastigial, and dentate nucleus to evaluate their FC. DTI parameters were obtained on the superior, middle, and inferior cerebellar peduncles. Global and lobular cerebellum volumes were also calculated. Cerebellar locomotor and fastigial FC was higher in cerebellar and posterior cortical areas in PD-FOG than in HS. FC of the cerebellar locomotor region with cerebellar areas positively correlated with FOG-Q. Dentate FC was lower in the prefrontal and parieto-occipital cortices in PD-FOG than in HS and in the brainstem, right basal ganglia, and frontal and parieto-occipital cortices than in PD-nFOG. DTI parameters in superior and middle cerebellar peduncles were altered in PD-FOG compared with PD-nFOG and significantly correlated with FOG-Q. There were no differences in cerebellar volumes between PD-FOG and either PD-nFOG or HS. Our results suggest that altered connectivity of the cerebellum contributes to the pathophysiology of FOG. FC of the cerebellar locomotor region and white matter (WM) properties of cerebellar peduncles correlate with FOG severity, supporting the hypothesis that abnormal cerebellar function underlies FOG in PD.

Validation of the Italian version of the PSP Quality of Life questionnaire

BACKGROUND

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare rapidly progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by falls and ocular movement disturbances. The use of health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) measures allows assessing changes in health status induced by therapeutic interventions or disease progress in neurodegenerative diseases. The PSP-QoL is a 45-item, self-administered questionnaire designed to evaluate HR-QoL in PSP.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Here, the PSP-QoL was translated into Italian and validated in 190 PSP (96 women and 94 men; mean age ± standard deviation, 72 ± 6.5; mean disease duration, 4.2 ± 2.3) patients diagnosed according to the Movement Disorder Society criteria and recruited in 16 third level movement disorders centers participating in the Neurecanet project. The mean PSP-QoL total score was 77.8 ± 37 (physical subscore, 46.5 ± 18.7; mental subscore, 33.6 ± 19.2). The internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.954); corrected item-total correlation was > 0.40 for the majority of items. The significant and moderate correlation of the PSP-QoL with other HR-QoL measures as well as with motor and disability assessments indicated adequate convergent validity of the scale. Gender and geographic location presented a significant impact on the PSP-QoL in our sample with women and patients from the South of Italy scoring higher than their counterparts.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the Italian version of the PSP-QoL is an easy, reliable and valid tool for assessment of HR-QoL in PSP.

Validation of the Italian version of carers' quality-of-life questionnaire for parkinsonism (PQoL Carer) in progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare, rapidly progressive, neurodegenerative disease characterized by falls and ocular movement disturbances. Caring for a partner or relative who suffers from PSP entails a strenuous and demanding task, usually lasting for years that affects carers' everyday life routines and emotional and social well-being. The 26-item Parkinsonism Carers QoL (PQoL Carer) is a self-administered, concise instrument evaluating the quality of life of caregivers of patients with atypical parkinsonism (both PSP and multiple system atrophy). Here, the PQoL Carer was translated into Italian and validated in 162 carers of PSP patients (54.3% women; mean age (standard deviation), 62.4 (15.4)) diagnosed according to the Movement Disorder Society criteria and recruited in 16 third-level movement disorders centers participating in the Neurecanet project. The mean PQoL total score was 40.66 ± 19.46. The internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach's alpha = 0.941); corrected item-total correlation was > 0.40 for all the items. A correlation with other health-related quality of life measures as well as with behavioral assessments was shown suggesting adequate convergent validity of the scale. PQoL also correlated with patients' severity of disease. The discriminant validity of the scale was evidenced by its capacity to differentiate between carers with varying levels of self-reported health (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the Italian version of the PQoL Carer is an easy, consistent, and valid tool for the assessment of the quality of life in carers of PSP patients.

Unilateral Stimulation of Subthalamic Nucleus Does Not Affect Inhibitory Control

Despite the relevance of inhibitory control in shaping our behavior its neural substrates are still hotly debated. In this regard, it has been suggested that inhibitory control relies upon a right-lateralized network which involves the right subthalamic nucleus (STN). To assess the role of STN, we took advantage of a relatively rare model, i.e., advanced Parkinson's patients who received unilateral deep-brain stimulation (DBS) of the STN either of the left (n = 10) or of the right (n = 10) hemisphere. We gave them a stop-signal reaching task, and we compared patients' performance in two experimental conditions, DBS-ON and DBS-OFF. In addition, we also tested 22 age-matched healthy participants. As expected, we found that inhibitory control is impaired in Parkinson's patients with respect to healthy participants. However, neither reactive nor proactive inhibition is improved when either the right or the left DBS is active. We interpreted these findings in light of the fact that previous studies, exploiting exactly the same task, have shown that only bilateral STN DBS restores a near-normal inhibitory control. Thus, although null results have to be interpreted with caution, our current findings confirm that the right STN does not play a key role in suppressing pending actions. However, on the ground of previous studies, it is very likely that this subcortical structure is part of the brain network subserving inhibition but to implement this executive function both subthalamic nuclei must be simultaneously active. Our findings are of significance to other researchers studying the effects of STN DBS on key executive functions, such as impulsivity and inhibition and they are also of clinical relevance for determining the therapeutic benefits of STN DBS as they suggest that, at least as far as inhibitory control is concerned, it is better to implant DBS bilaterally than unilaterally.

Heterozygous PLA2G6 Mutation Leads to Iron Accumulation Within Basal Ganglia and Parkinson's Disease

Mutations of PLA2G6 gene are responsible for PARK14, an autosomal recessive L-DOPA responsive dystonia/parkinsonism with early/adult onset. This phenotype possesses an high clinical variability, which consists in the occurrence of cerebral and cerebellar atrophy, iron accumulation in the basal ganglia, and cognitive decline. This report describes a PD patient carrying an heterozygous PLA2G6 mutation, which was identified also in his PD affected sister. This patient is characterized by a L-DOPA responsive typical parkinsonian syndrome without the occurrence of dystonia, a slight cognitive decline, presence of iron accumulation both in neo and paleostriatum while cerebellar atrophy was absent. Clinical and imaging features are compatible with the PARK14 phenotype. Although PARK14 has been previously reported to be inherited as a recessive disorder, clinical and genetic analysis of this proband and his family rise the hypothesis that even heterozygous PLA2G6 mutations may cause PARK14. It remains to be analyzed whether these heterozygous variants may act as dominant mutations, or they merely increase the risk to develop PD by acting within a context of synergistic genetic and/or environmental backgrounds.