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Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a sleep-related movement disorder, which can also result from brainstem pathology. A systematic review of articles published in the electronic databases PubMed and Web of Science was conducted to summarize the existent literature on RLS associated with a brainstem stroke. We identified eight articles including 19 subjects with RLS due to brainstem ischemic lesion. The symptoms occurred simultaneously with the infarction (66.7%) or few days after (33.3%). The most common location of infarction was pons and less commonly medulla. In most cases (68.4%), symptoms were unilateral. In the majority of those cases (92.3%), the contralateral limb was affected due to a lateral pons infarction. RLS symptoms after infarction improved or resolved in almost 90% of cases within a few days up to 3 months. In almost all patients who received dopaminergic treatment (11 out of 13, 91.7%), the symptoms improved significantly or resolved completely. Screening for RLS has to be considered in patients suffering a brainstem stroke, particularly anteromedial pontine infarction. The appearance of acute unilateral RLS symptoms, usually in association with other sensorimotor deficits, should prompt the clinician to consider a vascular event in the brainstem. RLS in these cases seem to have a favorable outcome and respond well to dopaminergic treatment.

Copyright © 2020, © SAGE Publications, Background: Patients in the late stages of parkinsonism are highly dependent on others in their self-care and activities of daily living. However, few studies have assessed the physical, psychological and social consequences of caring for a person with late-stage parkinsonism. Patients and methods: Five hundred and six patients and their caregivers from the Care of Late Stage Parkinsonism (CLaSP) study were included. Patients’ motor and non-motor symptoms were assessed using the UPDRS and Non-motor symptom scale (NMSS), Neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI-12), and caregivers’ health status using the EQ-5D-3 L. Caregiver burden was assessed by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Results: The majority of caregivers were the spouse or life partner (71.2%), and were living with the patient at home (67%). Approximately half of caregivers reported anxiety/depression and pain/discomfort (45% and 59% respectively). The factors most strongly associated with caregiver burden were patients’ neuropsychiatric features on the total NPI score (r = 0.38, p < 0.0001), total NMSS score (r = 0.28, p < 0.0001), caring for male patients and patients living at home. Being the spouse, the hours per day assisting and supervising the patient as well as caregivers’ EQ-5D mood and pain scores were also associated with higher ZBI scores (all p < 0.001). Conclusion: The care of patients with late stage parkinsonism is associated with significant caregiver burden, particularly when patients manifest many neuropsychiatric and non-motor features and when caring for a male patient at home., The study was funded by the European Commission (Joint Programme-Neurodegenerative Disease Research “European research projects for the evaluation of health care policies, strategies and interventions for Neurodegenerative Diseases”) through national funding bodies in all 6 countries (Economic and Social Research Council ES/L009250/1; BMBF, Marburg, Germany 01ED1403A, Munich, Germany 01ED1403B, Bordeaux, France: ANR-13-JPHC-0001-07, Lisbon, Portugal: HC/0002/2012, Lund, Sweden: HC-559-002, Nijmegen, Holland, 733051003). AS was supported by the National Institute for Health Research UCL/UCLH Biomedical Research Centre. AH was supported by co-funding of Groenhuysen organization and Stichting Beroepsopleiding Huisartsen.

Introduction: Chronic pain is increasingly recognized as part of long COVID syndrome, mainly in the form of myalgias. However, chronic pain has several forms, and according to our clinical experience, COVID-19 survivors suffer from numerous painful syndromes, other than myalgias. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of chronic pain, describe the commonest painful syndromes and identify pain determinants in a random population of COVID-19 survivors. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Medical School, University of Cyprus. A random population of 90 COVID-19 survivors was recruited. Demographic and COVID-19 related clinical characteristics were recorded. The painDETECT and DN4 questionnaires were used to evaluate the painful syndromes. Results: The prevalence of chronic pain was estimated to be 63.3%. The most common site of pain was low back (37.8%), followed by joints (28.9%) and neck (12.2%). Patients with chronic pain compared to subjects without pain were older (50.5 ± 15.9 versus 42.2 ± 12.6, p = 0.011) and more likely to be female (71.9% versus 45.5%, p = 0.013). One in six subjects (16.7%) reported new-onset pain post COVID-19. The prevalence of neuropathic pain was estimated to be 24.4%. After adjusting for age and gender, headache during COVID-19 was a statistically significant predictor of neuropathic pain, increasing 4.9 times (95% 1.4–16.6, p = 0.011) the odds of neuropathic pain. Conclusion: Chronic pain—especially neuropathic—is widely prevalent in COVID-19 survivors. One in six subjects will develop new-onset pain that will persist beyond the acute phase of the disease and, therefore, should be considered a symptom of long COVID syndrome.

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis and its incidence increases with age, although all age groups can be affected. The cranial subtypes of GBS account for approximately 5% of cases. Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is an acute neurological disorder, mostly reversible but with increased morbidity with permanent neurological sequelae in severe cases. The coexistence of these two syndromes is very rare and underdiagnosed. To the best of our knowledge, there are several dozen cases reported in the literature including ours with the coexistence of these two syndromes in adult patients. We present a rare case of oculopharyngeal type of GBS followed by PRES syndrome. Based on the reviewed cases we discuss various pathogenic mechanisms that support the association between these two entities. This review illustrates the importance of detecting PRES syndrome in the context of acute inflammatory immune-mediated polyneuropathies especially when the patients present early dysautonomia. We also discuss the importance of early administration of immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment but the possible risks that poses to the occurrence of PRES syndrome as well.

It is unclear whether alterations in cerebral pH underlie Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. We performed proton spectroscopy after oral administration of histidine in healthy young and elderly persons and in patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia (total N = 147). We measured cerebral tissue pH and ratios of common brain metabolites in relation to phosphocreatine and creatine (Cr) in spectra acquired from the hippocampus, the white matter (WM) of the centrum semiovale, and the cerebellum. Hippocampal pH was inversely associated with age in healthy participants but did not differ between patients and controls. WM pH was low in AD and, to a lesser extent, mild cognitive impairment but not in frontotemporal dementia spectrum disorders and pure vascular dementia. Furthermore, WM pH provided incremental diagnostic value in addition to N-acetylaspartate to Cr ratio. Our study suggests that in vivo assessment of pH may be a useful marker for the differentiation between AD and other types of dementia.

Mutations in the gene encoding amyloid precursor protein (APP) cause autosomal dominant inherited Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We present a case of a 68-year-old female who presented with epileptic seizures, neuropsychiatric symptoms and progressive memory decline and was found to carry a novel APP variant, c.2062T>G pLeu688Val. A comprehensive literature review of all reported cases of AD due to APP mutations was performed in PubMed and Web of Science databases. We reviewed 98 studies with a total of 385 cases. The mean age of disease onset was 51.3 ± 8.3 (31–80 years). Mutations were most often located in exons 17 (80.8%) and 16 (12.2%). The most common symptoms were dementia, visuospatial symptoms, aphasia, epilepsy and psychiatric symptoms. Mutations in the β-amyloid region, and specifically exon 17, were associated with high pathogenicity and a younger age of disease onset. We describe the second reported APP mutation in the Greek population. APP mutations may act variably on disease expression and their phenotype is heterogeneous.

Background Osmotic demyelination syndrome (ODS), which embraces central pontine and extrapontine myelinolysis, is an uncommon neurological disorder that occurs due to plasma osmotic changes. Case presentation We present the case of a 55-year-old man, who presented with severe hyponatremia due to repeated vomiting, antidepressant treatment and consumption of large amounts of water. Fifteen days after sodium correction, the patient showed fluctuation of vigilance, dysarthria and dysphagia, tremor, cogwheel rigidity, bilateral facial palsy, ophthalmoplegia and tetraparesis. A brain MRI scan revealed extrapontine and later on pontine myelinolysis. He received intravenous steroids and subsequently immunoglobulin. His status began to improve gradually after completion of immunoglobulin and at three month-follow-up had no neurological deficit. Literature review A comprehensive literature search of all reported ODS cases that received immunoglobulin, steroids or plasmapheresis was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed and Web of science. Conclusions Improvement was seen in most cases that received immunoglobulin either during treatment or in the first days after treatment. With regard to steroids, although most cases reported improvement in the following months their effect on the outcome is unclear. Most cases treated with plasmapheresis reported favorable outcome at variable follow-up time. Immunoglobulin and steroids have immunomodulatory effects, which could contribute to promotion of myelin repair in ODS. Plasmapheresis has effects on the immune system beyond removing myelinotoxins from the circulation. More evidence is required to support their use in ODS. However, in view of the disease severity, these therapeutic choices should be considered in the clinical management of ODS.

The ability to recognize facial emotion expressions has been reported to be impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD), yet previous studies showed inconsistent findings. The aim of this study was to further investigate facial emotion recognition (FER) in PD patients and its association with demographic and clinical parameters (including motor and nonmotor symptoms).Thirty-four nondemented PD patients and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC) underwent clinical neurological and neuropsychological assessment, standardized olfactory testing with Sniffin' Sticks, and the Ekman 60 Faces Emotion Recognition Test.PD patients had a significantly lower score on the total FER task than HC (p = .006), even after controlling for the potential confounding factors depression and apathy. The PD group had a specific impairment in the recognition of surprise (p = .007). The recognition of anger approached statistical significance (p = .07). Increasing chronological age and age at disease onset were associated with worse performance on the FER task in PD patients. Olfactory function along with PD diagnosis predicted worse FER performance within all study participants.Facial emotion recognition and especially the recognition of surprise are significantly impaired in PD patients compared with age- and sex-matched HC. The association of FER with age and olfactory function is endorsed by common structures that undergo neurodegeneration in PD. The relevance of FER in social interaction stresses the clinical relevance and the need for further investigation in this field. Future studies should also determine whether impaired FER is already present in premotor stages of PD.

It is unclear whether alterations in cerebral pH underlie Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias. We performed proton spectroscopy after oral administration of histidine in healthy young and elderly persons and in patients with mild cognitive impairment and dementia (total N = 147). We measured cerebral tissue pH and ratios of common brain metabolites in relation to phosphocreatine and creatine (Cr) in spectra acquired from the hippocampus, the white matter (WM) of the centrum semiovale, and the cerebellum. Hippocampal pH was inversely associated with age in healthy participants but did not differ between patients and controls. WM pH was low in AD and, to a lesser extent, mild cognitive impairment but not in frontotemporal dementia spectrum disorders and pure vascular dementia. Furthermore, WM pH provided incremental diagnostic value in addition to N-acetylaspartate to Cr ratio. Our study suggests that in vivo assessment of pH may be a useful marker for the differentiation between AD and other types of dementia.

Introduction Fahr’s syndrome due to hypoparathyroidism refers to bilateral basal ganglia (BG) calcifications and manifests with movement disorders, seizures, cognitive and behavioral symptoms. Case presentation We report a case of a 74-year-old woman, who presented with parkinsonism due to post-surgical hypoparathyroidism and normal DaT scan, despite extensive calcifications of the BG, periventricular white matter, and cerebellum. Methods A comprehensive literature review of all reported cases of Fahr’s syndrome due to hypoparathyroidism was conducted in the electronic databases PubMed and Web of science. Moreover, demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients overall were calculated and associated with radiological findings. Results We reviewed a total of 223 cases with Fahr’s syndrome due to hypoparathyroidism (124 female, 99 male). Mean age on presentation was 44.6 ± 17.7 years. Thirty nine percent of patients had idiopathic hypoparathyroidism, 35.4 % acquired and 25.6 % pseudohypoparathyroidism. Almost half of the patients had tetany, seizures or a movement disorder and approximately 40 % neuropsychiatric symptoms. The patients with a movement disorder had a 2.23 likelihood of having neuropsychiatric symptoms as well (OR 2.23, 95 % CI 1.29–3.87). Moreover, there was a statistically significant association between the phenotype severity (i.e. the presence of more than one symptom) and the extent of brain calcifications (χ2 = 32.383, p = 0.009). Conclusion Fahr’s syndrome is a rare disorder, which nonetheless manifests with several neurological symptoms. A head CT should be considered for patients with hypoparathyroidism and neurological symptoms. More studies using DaT scan are needed to elucidate the effects of calcifications on the dopaminergic function of the BG.

Background: Coeliac disease (CD) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. Classic symptoms include gastrointestinal problems such as chronic diarrhoea, abdominal distention, malabsorption, loss of appetite, and among children failure to grow normally. Often patients present with neurological manifestations, such as cerebellar ataxia and peripheral neuropathy, even in the absence of any gastrointestinal symptoms. Chronic pain is a major determinant of poor quality of life in patients with coeliac disease, however it has been previously shown that a strict gluten free diet is beneficial in dramatically reducing the odds of suffering from pain. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to establish the prevalence of chronic pain in patients with coeliac disease. Methods: Patients with CD and healthy volunteers were prospectively evaluated. Pain was assessed with the use of the painDETECT and the DN4 questionnaires. Results: Sixty-one patients with CD (79% females, mean age 39.6 ± 12.9 years) and 61 age and gender matched healthy volunteers were recruited. Patients had a diagnosis of CD for a mean of 6.7 ± 4.7 years (ranging from 0 to 18 years). The prevalence of chronic pain was 57% in the healthy volunteers group and 59% in the CD group (p = 0.854). In both groups the prevalence of neuropathic pain was established to be 20%. The most commonly reported painful area in both groups was low back pain (26% in the CD group and 20% in the healthy control group). In the CD group, patients with pain were significantly older compared to patients without pain (43.6 ± 12.5 years vs 33.8 ± 11.4 years, p = 0.003). No differences between these two sub-groups were found regarding gender, BMI or CD duration. Conclusions: Chronic pain is very prevalent in CD and is very similar to the prevalence observed in the general population.