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Objective: To compare and contrast disease-specific quality of life instruments in Parkinson9s disease and assess their clinimetric properties. Methods: Two reviewers independently evaluated both thoroughness and results of studies regarding clinimetric characteristics of identified scales. Results: Twenty studies were found reporting on the clinimetric properties of four scales. The content validity of the Parkinson9s disease questionnaire-39 item version (PDQ-39), the Parkinson9s disease quality of life questionnaire (PDQL), and the “Fragebogen Parkinson LebensQualitat” (Parkinson Quality of Life questionnaire; PLQ) was adequate to good, but for the Parkinson9s impact scale (PIMS) it was insufficient. Construct validity of both the PDQ-39 and the PDQL was good, but for the PLQ and the PIMS this was insufficiently evaluated. Internal consistency of all scale totals and of subscale totals of the PDQL were good, whereas for the social support subscale of the PDQ-39 and four subscales of the PLQ this was inadequate. Test-retest reliability was not evaluated for the PDQL and was adequate in the other scales. Responsiveness was partially established for the PDQ-39, and not assessed for the other scales. The number of available translations, as well as the number of studies in which these instruments were used, differed considerably. Conclusions: The selection of an instrument partially depends on the goal of the study. In many situations however, the PDQ-39 will probably be the most appropriate HRQoL instrument. The PDQL may be considered as an alternative, whereas the PLQ may be considered in studies involving German speaking patients with Parkinson9s disease. Use of the PIMS should be considered only as a means of identifying areas of potential problems.

BackgroundThe appropriate medical treatment test (ATT), included in the Mental Health Act (MHA) (1983, as amended 2007), aims to ensure that detention only occurs when treatment with the purpose of alleviating a mental disorder is available.AimsAs part of the Assessing the Impact of the Mental Health Act (AMEND) project, this qualitative study aimed to assess professionals' understanding of the ATT, and its impact on clinical practice.MethodForty-one professionals from a variety of mental health subspecialties were interviewed. Interviews were coded related to project aims, and themes were generated in an inductive process.ResultsWe found that clinicians are often wholly relied upon for the ATT. Considered treatment varied depending on the patient's age rather than diagnosis. The ATT has had little impact on clinical practice.ConclusionsOur findings suggest the need to review training and support for professionals involved in MHA assessments, with better-defined roles. This may enable professionals to implement the ATT as its designers intended.

Objectives: We investigated the involvement of the basal ganglia in inhibiting ongoing responses in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Methods: Thirty two patients with PD and 31 orthopaedic controls performed the stop signal task, which allows an estimation of the time it takes to inhibit an ongoing reaction (stop signal reaction time, SSRT). Results: Patients with PD showed significantly longer SSRTs than the controls. This effect seemed to be independent of global cognitive impairment and severity of PD. Furthermore, in the PD patients, there was no significant relation between general slowing and inhibitory efficiency. Conclusions: Our results provide evidence for involvement of the basal ganglia in the inhibition of ongoing responses.

Objectives: Although chronic calcified neurocysticercosis (NCC) has been considered a major cause of symptomatic epilepsy in developing countries, it can also be an incidental pathological finding in epileptic patients from endemic regions. The mechanisms of brain plasticity occurring in patients with NCC during and after the inflammatory process related to the parasite infection, death, degeneration, and calcification within the host brain might be an independent factor for cognitive impairment in patients with NCC and epilepsy. In order to assess this possibility cognitive performance of patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy related to hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) with and without NCC was investigated through structured neuropsychological testing. Methods: Cognitive performance of long term MTLE-HS patients with (HS-NCC group, n = 32) and without NCC (HS only, n = 48) was compared. Imbalances between the two groups with respect to clinical, demographic, neuroimaging, and electrophysiological variables were adjusted by linear multiple regression analysis and Bonferroni correction for multiple tests. Results and conclusions: There were no cognitive performance differences between HS-NCC and HS only patients, leading to the conclusion that chronic calcified NCC per se does not aggravate the cognitive performance of patients with long term MTLE-HS.