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Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age dependent neurodegenerative disorder with increasing prevalence. Digital technologies like computers and smartphones offer mobile telecommunication, diagnostic and monitoring and may connect the patient continuously with his healthcare team, providing disease related information, and support healthcare. Since the use of these technologies in western civilization is age dependent, possession and usage cannot be regarded as given in PD. In contrast to increasing efforts to implement digital technology into PD patient care, little is known about the use of computers, smartphones, and internet-affinity in PD patients. Objective: To evaluate the use of digital technologies in different age groups of PD patients. Methods: We developed a questionnaire adapted to the annual German microcensus on "use of digital communication technologies", allowing a comparison to the general population in Germany. Results: 190 PD patients completed the questionnaire. About 75% of PD patients access disease related information on the internet. Patients across all age groups used computers and the internet as frequent or more frequently compared to the German population. Use of computers, smartphones, and the internet in PD was age dependent. Advanced PD patients with higher motor impairment used smartphones less often, while mobile phone usage was not reduced. Conclusion: The adoption of a digital lifestyle is present in the PD population, apart from smartphone usage, which is impaired by motor symptoms. Thus, future healthcare technologies are not hampered by the inability of PD patients to use the necessary tools, however, fine motor-skill requirements have to be acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The proportion of patients with functional movement disorders (FMD) is particularly high in neurology clinics. Treatment options have not been consistently developed, not well evaluated and not validated. This article presents the preliminary data on the prevalence and treatment response of patients with FMD who were treated within the framework of an early rehabilitative geriatric complex treatment at a university hospital for neurology., Methods: From July 2017 to November 2018 the prevalence, demographic and clinical parameters, and response to treatment of FMD patients were documented and compared to non-FMD patients treated at the neurogeriatric ward of the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, in Kiel. Clinical endpoints were the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) for mobility and the Barthel index for instrumented activity of daily life (iADL)., Results: The prevalence of FMD was 11% (19/175) and predominantly observed in women (74%). Of the FMD patients nine also had a diagnosis of either idiopathic Parkinson's disease (N = 7), dementia with Lewy bodies (N = 1) or progressive supranuclear palsy (N = 1). At admission, neither the SPPB nor the iADL differed significantly between FMD and non-FMD patients. The treatment response was comparable between the groups: SPPB change was +0.3±1.8 (mean, standard deviation) in FMD and +0.4±1.9 in non-FMD patients (p = 0.83). The iADL change was +19±15 in FMD and +18±17 in non-FMD (p = 0.83)., Conclusion: The prevalence of FMD was unexpectedly high in the neurogeriatric ward of a German university hospital. There were comparable impairments and responses to multidisciplinary treatment in mobility and iADL between FMD and non-FMD geriatric patients, suggesting that specific and informed treatment provided by a multidisciplinary geriatric team is effective in geriatric FMD patients. Further studies of this underdiagnosed disorder in older age are warranted.