Search

Observational prospective population-based incidence study. The main objective of this study was to assess the incidence of traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCIs) and incidence rates, in order to provide estimates by age, gender, characteristics and cause. This study was conducted at acute-care spinal cord injury (SCI) hospitals and SCI centers from 11 Italian regions, between 1 October 2013 and 30 September 2014. Data of all consecutive patients with acute TSCI who met the inclusion criteria were obtained through case reporting by clinicians. The data were collected into a web database. Incidence rates and incidence rate ratios were calculated and stratified by age, gender, cause, level and completeness. From 50% of the entire population of Italy, 445 new cases of TSCI were included. The crude incidence rate of TSCI was 14.7 cases per million per year (95% CI: 13.4–16.4); the overall male to female ratio was 4:1 and the mean age was 54. Complete information was available in 85% of the sample and revealed tetraplegia in 58% and incomplete lesion in 67% of cases. The leading cause of TSCI was falls (40.9%) followed by road traffic accidents (33.5%). The leading cause was falls for patients over 55 and road traffic accidents for patients under 55. The changing trend of TSCI epidemiology concerns the increase in the average age of TSCI people and the increase of both cervical and incomplete lesions. The etiology shows the primacy of falls over road traffic accidents and suggests the need for a change in prevention policies.

Background and Purpose— The mechanisms underlying the relationship between migraine and ischemic stroke remain uncertain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive value of major cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac interatrial abnormalities, and additional biological markers on migraine subtypes in young adults with ischemic stroke. Methods— Ischemic stroke patients aged 45 years or younger were consecutively enrolled as part of the Italian Project on Stroke in Young Adults. A comprehensive evaluation was performed including assessment of self-reported migraine and cardiovascular risk factors, interatrial right-to-left shunt, and genotyping to detect factor V Leiden and the G20210A mutation in the prothrombin gene. Results— Nine hundred eighty-one patients (mean age, 36.0±7.6 years; 50.7% women) were included. The risk of migraine with aura increased with decreasing number of cardiovascular risk factors (OR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.24–0.99 for 2 factors or more), increasing number of thrombophilic variants (OR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.05–4.68 for carriers of at least 1 of the 2), and the presence of right-to-left shunt (OR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.37–3.45), as compared to patients without migraine. None of these factors had influence on the risk of migraine without aura. Conclusions— In young adults with ischemic stroke, low cardiovascular risk profile, right-to-left shunt, and an underlying procoagulant state are predictors of migraine with aura. The biological effects of these factors should be considered in future studies aimed at investigating the mechanisms linking migraine to brain ischemia.

The effects of chronic alcohol abuse on cognition are well known. Memory and executive functions appear to be the cognitive domains primarily impaired, and pre-frontal and frontal damage is reported on neuroimaging studies both at micro- and macrostructural levels. Abstinence can partially reverse these alterations through mechanisms of neuroplasticity. Alcohol acts in a dose-dependent fashion, and a light-to-moderate consumption indeed has protective effects on cardiovascular risk factors and promotes anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative processes. In the elderly on such a regimen, several epidemiological studies have reported a decreased risk of both coronary and cerebrovascular disease and of dementia. However, because of data heterogeneity and the presence of several confounding variables, further studies are needed to clarify these findings. In addition, the complexity of alcohol neurobiology (interaction of alcohol effects with genetic predisposition and environmental factors) and the occurrence of age-related changes should also be taken into account. As dementia, stroke and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of mortality in older people in developed countries, a better knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the effects of alcohol intake may be helpful from the perspective not only of medical management but also of social health policy.

Underlying neural mechanisms and cognitive implications of non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep in isolated Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) are not yet fully elucidated. This study aims to evaluate brain metabolic connectivity of the anterior default mode network (ADMN) underlying a waveform that is an hallmark of NREM sleep, namely K-complex (KC) and their implication for neuropsychological functioning in iRBD patients. Combining polysomnographic and multivariate molecular imaging (FDG-PET) approaches may provide crucial insights regarding KCs role in the prodromal stages of synucleinopathies. We applied a seed-based interregional correlation analysis on FDG-PET data. iRBD patients with cognitive decline displayed a reduced KC density (KCd) in comparison to patients without cognitive impairments. KCd showed a significant positive correlation with global cognitive functioning, specifically with visuo-spatial and executive performances, two cognitive domains known to be relevant in predicting conversion into neurodegenerative disorders. Increased KCd was associated with a more preserved ADMN connectivity. Our study underlines the importance of NREM sleep in prodromal stages of synucleinopathies, and future investigations might clarify its role in iRBD.

Background: Insomnia Disorder is characterized by high degree of phenotypic heterogeneity, that might influence treatment response. Methods: 123 of 294 insomnia patients initially recruited (66.7% females, age=40.59±11.89) were assessed before and after group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), as well as at follow-up (7.8±1.6 years after the end-of-treatment). By use of latent class analysis (LCA) we identified insomnia subtypes according with baseline scores of insomnia severity and features, anxiety, depression, stress and sleepiness symptoms, circadian rhythm, and treatment effectiveness (Delta score of Insomnia Severity Index-ISI between baseline and end-of-treatment). Results: By LCA we revealed three classes: “PURE INSOMNIA”, "INSOMNIA+ANXIETY+DEPRESSION+STRESS", and “INSOMNIA+ANXIETY”. The improvements in insomnia severity was maintained up to 10 years after the end-of-treatment, but with differences between classes (p14). Limitations: The lack of a control group and the absence of a complete clinical assessment at the follow-up limit the interpretability of our results. Conclusions: Our data driven analysis suggest insomnia heterogeneity can be categorized into sub-classes by depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. In addition, insomnia patients with stress and depression symptoms maintained highest percentage of clinical depression at the end-of-treatment and insomnia at follow-up, in comparison with others classes. Stress and depression symptoms should be considered risk factors that play an important role in the long-term outcome of CBT-I.

Propriospinal myoclonus (PSM) consists of paroxysmal and sudden jerks involving axial flexion trunk and hip muscles, conditioning sudden myoclonias of the trunk and arms/limbs, both spontaneous and triggered by sensory stimulations, emerging in relaxed wakefulness typically during the transition between wake and sleep. Generally, PSM originates from a thoracic myelomere and spreads caudally and rostrally, provoking flexion and/or extension movements, leading to jumps or trunk jerks. They appear triggered by the lying-down position and disappear when the subject stands up. The main consequences are the difficulties in sleep start and the reappearance during the period of wakefulness after sleep onset.

Purpose of the review: There is evidence that, before the coronavirus pandemic 2019 (COVID-19), healthcare workers did not experience good sleep quality with relevant consequences on health. By contrast, little is known about the sleep quality of medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this review, we aimed to contribute with a review of the literature, sharing our clinical experience supported by actigraphic evaluation and by proposing future strategies. Recent findings: Sleep disorders, in particular insomnia, have been commonly reported in frontline medical workers, in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic and are often accompanied by depressive and anxiety symptoms. Sleep quality, however, has been mainly assessed by the use of self-reported measures, thus limiting clinical usefulness. Summary: Poor sleep quality among the medical staff is prevalent, and our experience supports that this has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. A longitudinal investigation assessing whether and for how long sleep remains altered in medical staff could be of interest to evaluate the temporal effect of the pandemic on health.

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep is involved in nightly emotional processing; therefore, its disruption might be associated with an impaired ability of emotional regulation during daytime. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of emotional dysregulation in insomnia patients and to test its correlation with REM sleep features. Forty-six subjects (23 insomnia patients and 23 healthy controls) were enrolled. All subjects underwent an assessment for the evaluation of emotion dysregulation (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, DERS), sleep quality, insomnia severity, excessive daytime sleepiness, worry, rumination, depressive and anxious symptomatology. Insomnia patients underwent a nocturnal polysomnographic recording to characterize sleep macrostructure and REM sleep microstructure variables. Insomnia patients reported increased values of emotional dysregulation. REM sleep percentage and REM sleep latency significantly correlated with DERS total score, and with the subscales “Lack of Confidence in Emotional Regulation Skills”, “Difficulties in Behavioral Control” and “Difficulty in recognizing emotions”. Furthermore, positive correlations between REM arousal index and emotion dysregulation were found, whereas REM density negatively correlated with DERS. Our results suggest the presence of a relationship between REM sleep and emotional regulation in insomnia patients.

Purpose of the review: There is strong evidence for a bidirectional association between sleep disorders and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In particular, insomnia may be a potentially modifiable risk factor for AD. The present review summarizes recent advances in treatment of sleep disorders in AD. Recent findings: Some studies investigated the efficacy and safety of hypnotic agents as ramelteon and mirtazapine to treat sleep disorders in AD but no significant therapeutic effects have been observed. Benzodiazepines are the most frequently used medication for treatment of insomnia but they may cause significant side effects in old subjects. Suvorexant, an orexin receptor antagonist, showed a positive effect on AD insomnia. Recent report suggests an association between trazodone use and delayed cognitive decline in AD. With respect to circadian rhythm disorders, non-pharmacological treatments, especially bright light therapy, could be useful and safe options for treatment in AD. Summary: Some pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments might have benefits in AD patients with sleep disturbances, but further well-designed controlled trials are needed.

Introduction: Restless Legs Syndrome/Willis-Ekbom Disease (RLS/WED) is a sleep disorder characterized by an urge to move the legs, frequently associated or triggered by unpleasant sensations in the lower limbs that affects approximately 2.5% of adults. Therapy and management of RLS/WED require long-term interventions, since the typical manifestation of this disorder is chronic. Areas covered: In this review, we provide an update regarding the treatment of RLS/WED with particular attention to future challenges for its management. We reviewed a large variety of treatments studied in clinical trials and supported by the most updated guidelines. Alongside with first-line interventions other pharmacological options including opioids, benzodiazepines, iron therapy, and newly studied drugs are discussed. Furthermore, due to the occurrence of augmentation and worsening of symptoms we also reviewed the development of non-pharmacologic alternatives. Expert commentary: The management of RLS/WED is a challenge because of different long-term issues. Several complications, such as loss of the therapeutic effect of dopaminergic or non-dopaminergic agents and augmentation, are still unsolved concerns. However, the development of new drugs acting on adenosinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission seems promising. Randomized controlled trials are needed in order to recognize effectiveness of new drugs or non-pharmacological treatment strategies.