Search

Objective:To examine associations of body mass index (BMI), subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and density (SFD), visceral fat area (VFA) and density (VFD) and total psoas area (TPA) to outcomes among patients receiving chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer (EC). Methods:This was a multi-institutional, retrospective study of patients with EC treated with and without bevacizumab as part of front-line, platinum based chemotherapy. Demographics and clinical characteristics were collected. SFA, VFA, SFD, VFD, and TPA were determined from pre-treatment CT scans using a deep learning algorithm. Data was compared with overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS). Results:Seventy-eight patients were analyzed. The majority were Caucasian (87.2%) with a mean BMI of 34.7 kg/m2. PFS and OS did not differ between patients with BMI, SFA, VFA, SFD, VFD, or TPA ≥ the 50th percentile compared to

Background and purpose:The internal anal sphincter has been shown to contract in response to α1-adrenoceptor stimulation and therefore α1-adrenoceptor agonists may be useful in treating faecal incontinence. This study characterizes the α1-adrenoceptor subtype responsible for mediating contraction of the internal anal sphincter of the pig.Experimental approach:The potency of agonists and the affinities of several receptor subtype selective antagonists were determined on smooth muscle strips for the pig internal anal sphincter. Cumulative concentration–response curves were performed using phenylephrine and noradrenaline.Key results:The potency of the α1A-adrenoceptor selective agonist A61603 (pEC50=7.79±0.04) was 158-fold greater than that for noradrenaline (pEC50=5.59±0.02). Phenylephrine (pEC50=5.99±0.05) was 2.5-fold more potent than noradrenaline. The α1D-adrenoceptor selective antagonist BMY7378 caused rightward shifts of the concentration–response curves to phenylephrine and noradrenaline, yielding low affinity estimates of 6.59±0.15 and 6.33±0.13, respectively. Relatively high affinity estimates were obtained for the α1A-adrenoceptor selective antagonists, RS100329 (9.01±0.14 and 9.06±0.22 with phenylephrine and noradrenaline, respectively) and 5-methylurapidil (8.51±0.10 and 8.31±0.10, respectively). Prazosin antagonized responses of the sphincter to phenylephrine and noradrenaline, yielding mean affinity estimates of 8.58±0.10 and 8.15±0.08, respectively. The Schild slope for prazosin with phenylephrine was equal to unity (1.01±0.24), however the Schild slope using noradrenaline was significantly less than unity (0.50±0.11, P<0.05).Conclusion and implications:The results suggest that contraction of circular smooth muscle from the pig internal anal sphincter is mediated via a population of adrenoceptors with the pharmacological characteristics of the α1A/L-adrenoceptor, most probably the α1L-adrenoceptor form of this receptor.British Journal of Pharmacology (2008) 155, 110–117; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.217; published online 2 June 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Improvements in neuroimaging technologies, and greater access to their use, have generated a plethora of data regarding male/female differences in the developing brain. Examination of these differences may shed light on the pathophysiology of the many illnesses that differ between the sexes and ultimately lead to more effective interventions. In this review, we attempt to synthesize the anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) literature of male/female brain differences with emphasis on studies encompassing adolescence – a time of divergence in physical and behavioral characteristics. Across all ages total brain size is consistently reported to be about 10% larger in males. Structures commonly reported to be different between sexes include the caudate nucleus, amygdala, hippocampus, and cerebellum – all noted to have a relatively high density of sex steroid receptors. The direction and magnitude of reported brain differences depends on the methodology of data acquisition and analysis, whether and how the subcomponents are adjusted for the total brain volume difference, and the age of the participants in the studies. Longitudinal studies indicate regional cortical gray matter volumes follow inverted U shaped developmental trajectories with peak size occurring one to three years earlier in females. Cortical gray matter differences are modulated by androgen receptor genotyope and by circulating levels of hormones. White matter volumes increase throughout childhood and adolescence in both sexes but more rapidly in adolescent males resulting in an expanding magnitude of sex differences from childhood to adulthood.

Background: Motor and nonmotor fluctuations adversely impact the quality of life in Parkinson's disease (PD). Dysautonomia, a feature frequently associated with PD and a possible adverse effect of dopaminergic therapy, may be comorbid with fluctuations., Objective: We sought to evaluate the effect of dysautonomia on motor and nonmotor fluctuations in PD., Methods: Two hundred subjects with PD were evaluated in both on and off dopamine states to assess changes in symptoms related to dopaminergic fluctuations. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to assess the association of dysautonomia with motor, cognitive, and psychiatric worsening from on to off states with adjustment for disease duration, levodopa equivalent daily dosage (LEDD), and dopamine-agonist LEDD., Results: Subjects with dysautonomia had greater odds of clinically meaningful change in motor features (odds ratio [OR]: 3.0), cognition (OR: 3.4), and anxiety (OR: 4.3) compared to those without dysautonomia., Conclusions: Dysautonomia may be a contributory mechanism behind fluctuations in PD. The exact nature of this relationship deserves further evaluation. © 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society., (© 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

The Parkinson Study Group (PSG) gathered North American experts in Parkinson disease during the 9 th  Annual Symposium on "Shaping the Management of Parkinson Disease: Debating Current Controversies". Debaters were tasked with agree or disagree positions to a particular prompt. This is the first in three-part series of "Hype vs. Hope" debates involving current trends and advances in Parkinson disease. With the prompt of "Spreading alpha-synuclein explains cognitive deficits in Parkinson disease," Dr. Kelly Mills, MD, MHS was tasked with the "agree" stance and Dr. Abhimanyu Mahajan, MD, MHS was tasked with the "disagree" stance. The following point-of-view article is an adaptation of this debate., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing interest Dr. Mills: Dr. Mills has no conflicts of interest to disclose. Dr. Mahajan: Dr. Mahajan has no conflicts of interest to disclose. Dr. Phillips: Dr. Phillips has no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To examine whether initiation of an antidepressant is associated with the development of impulse control disorder (ICD) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)., Design: We performed a retrospective analysis utilizing data from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI). Two-sample Mann-Whitney tests were used for comparison of continuous variables and Pearson χ 2 tests were used for categorical variables. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to assess the hazard of ICD with antidepressant exposure., Setting: The PPMI is a multicenter observational study of early PD with 52 sites throughout North America, Europe, and Africa., Participants: Participants in the current study were those in the PPMI PD cohort with a primary diagnosis of idiopathic PD., Measurements: The presence of ICD was captured using the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease (QUIP). Antidepressant use was defined based on medication logs for each participant. Depressive symptoms were captured using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)., Results: A total of 1,045 individuals were included in the final analysis. There was a significant increase in the probability of ICD in those exposed to serotonergic antidepressants compared to those not exposed (Log-rank p <0.001). Serotonergic antidepressant use was associated with a hazard ratio for ICD of 1.4 (95% CI 1.0-1.8, z-value 2.1, p = 0.04) after adjusting for dopamine agonist use, depression, bupropion use, MAOI-B use, amantadine use, LEDD, disease duration, sex, and age., Conclusions: Serotonergic antidepressant use appears to be temporally associated with ICD in patients with PD., (Copyright © 2024 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the cognitive effects of unilateral directional versus ring subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease., Methods: We examined 31 participants who underwent unilateral STN DBS (left n = 17; right n = 14) as part of an National Institutes of Health (NIH)-sponsored randomized, double-blind, crossover study contrasting directional versus ring stimulation. All participants received unilateral DBS implants in the hemisphere more severely affected by motor parkinsonism. Measures of cognition included verbal fluency, auditory-verbal memory, and response inhibition. We used mixed linear models to contrast the effects of directional versus ring stimulation and implant hemisphere on longitudinal cognitive function., Results: Crossover analyses showed no evidence for group-level changes in cognitive performance related to directional versus ring stimulation. Implant hemisphere, however, impacted cognition in several ways. Left STN participants had lower baseline verbal fluency than patients with right implants (t [20.66 = -2.50, p = 0.02]). Verbal fluency declined after left (p = 0.013) but increased after right STN DBS (p < 0.001), and response inhibition was faster following right STN DBS (p = 0.031). Regardless of hemisphere, delayed recall declined modestly over time versus baseline (p = 0.001), and immediate recall was unchanged., Interpretation: Directional versus ring STN DBS did not differentially affect cognition. Similar to prior bilateral DBS studies, unilateral left stimulation worsened verbal fluency performance. In contrast, unilateral right STN surgery increased performance on verbal fluency and response inhibition tasks. Our findings raise the hypothesis that unilateral right STN DBS in selected patients with predominant right brain motor parkinsonism could mitigate declines in verbal fluency associated with the bilateral intervention. ANN NEUROL 2024;95:1205-1219., (© 2024 The Authors. Annals of Neurology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Neurological Association.)

Background: PD causes striatal dopaminergic denervation in a posterior/dorsal to anterior/ventral gradient, leaving motor and associative cortico-striato-pallido-thalamic loops differentially susceptible to hyperdopaminergic effects with treatment. As the choice and titration of symptomatic PD medications are guided primarily by motor symptoms, it is important to understand their cognitive implications., Objective: To investigate the effects of acute dopaminergic medication administration on executive function in Parkinson's disease (PD)., Methods: Participants with idiopathic PD were administered the oral Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT; n = 181) and the Stroop test (n = 172) in the off-medication and "best on" medication states. ANCOVA was used to test for differences between off-medication and on-medication scores corrected for age and years of education., Results: After administration of symptomatic medications, scores worsened on the SDMT (F = 11.70, P < 0.001, d = -0.13), improved on the Stroop color (F = 26.89, P < 0.001, d = 0.184), word (F = 6.25, P = 0.013, d = 0.09), and color-word (F = 13.22, P < 0.001, d = 0.16) test components, and the Stroop difference and ratio-based interference scores did not significantly change. Longer disease duration correlated with lower scores on the SDMT, Stroop color, word, and color-word scores; however, longer disease duration and higher levodopa-equivalents correlated with higher Stroop difference-based interference scores., Conclusions: Symptomatic medication differentially affects performance on two cognitive tests in PD. After acute treatment, core Stroop measures improved, Stroop interference was unchanged, and SDMT performance worsened, likely reflecting complex changes in processing speed and executive function related to acute treatment. When considering motor symptom therapies in PD, an individual's cognitive demands and expectations, especially regarding executive function, should be considered., (© 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Gregory Pontone reports a relationship with ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc that includes: consulting or advisory. Gregory Pontone reports a relationship with GE Healthcare that includes: consulting or advisory. Kelly Mills reports a relationship with Tilosia that includes: consulting or advisory. Ruth Schneider reports a relationship with ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc that includes: funding grants. Ruth Schneider reports a relationship with Pfizer Inc that includes: funding grants. Ruth Schneider reports a relationship with Biohaven Ltd that includes: funding grants. Ruth Schneider reports a relationship with ESCAPE Bio that includes: consulting or advisory. none.

Background: Minor phenomena, including passage phenomena, feeling of presence, and illusions, are common and may represent a prodromal form of psychosis in Parkinson's disease (PD). We examined the prevalence and clinical correlates of minor phenomena, and their potential role as a risk factor for PD psychosis., Methods: A novel questionnaire, the Psychosis and Mild Perceptual Disturbances Questionnaire for PD (PMPDQ), was completed by Fox Insight cohort participants with and without PD. Additional assessments included the Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire (NMSQuest), REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Single Question Screen (RBD1Q), Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale Part II, demographic features, and medication usage. For participants with PD, we used regression models to identify clinical associations and predictors of incident psychosis over one year of follow-up., Results: Among participants with PD (n = 5950) and without PD (n = 1879), the prevalence of minor phenomena was 43.1% and 31.7% ( P < .001). Of the 3760 participants with PD and no baseline psychosis, independent correlates of minor phenomena included positive responses on the NMSQuest apathy/attention/memory (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.1, P < .001) or sexual function domain (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6, P = .01) and positive RBD1Q (OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.05-1.5, P = .01). Independent risk factors for incident PD psychosis included the presence of minor phenomena (HR 3.0, 95% CI 2.4-3.9, P < .001), positive response on the NMSQuest apathy/attention/memory domain (HR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.6, P < .001), and positive RBD1Q (HR 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-1.9, P = .004)., Conclusions: Minor phenomena are common, associated with specific non-motor symptoms, and an independent predictor of incident psychosis in PD., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: RS: Has received research support from Acadia Pharmaceuticals, Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer and consulted for Escape Bio. PA: Nothing to disclose. RD: Nothing to disclose. KM: Has consulted for Tilosia. CK: Nothing to disclose. TM: Nothing to disclose. MK: Nothing to disclose. GP: Has consulted for Acadia Pharmaceuticals and receives funding from the NIH. MJN: Nothing to disclose.

Background: Several anxiety syndromes have been associated with Parkinson disease (PD), but their interactions with dopamine replacement therapy (DRT) and motor function dynamics are not completely understood. We sought to delineate how DRT impacts anxiety phenomenology in PD and whether these changes are dissociable from improved motoric function., Methods: We compared anxiety responses to DRT in two cohorts: 1) a study of 200 PD participants who completed neuropsychiatric assessments before and after taking their dopaminergic medications ("On-Off"); 2) participants in the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) de novo PD cohort who completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) at the time of DRT initiation and a subsequent study visit (n = 113, mean 8-month interval)., Results: Among On-Off participants transitioning acutely to the On-state, scores on the Hamilton anxiety rating scale decreased by 37% (t = 14.8, df = 199, p <0.0001). Among PPMI participants, STAI-state scores decreased by 10.4% following DRT initiation (t = 4.5, df = 112, p <0.0001). Item-level anxiety changes exhibited weak and nonsignificant correlations (Spearman ρ: -0.24 to 0.33) with objective MDS-UPDRS motor improvements in both immediate and sustained dopamine replacement contexts., Conclusion: Dopamine repletion effected immediate relief of anxiety in an On-Off state comparison. A similar benefit was observed in the longitudinal PPMI cohort by comparing anxiety before and after DRT initiation, suggesting DRT confers sustained anxiolytic effects in early PD. The weak correlations between improvements to anxiety and motor function on both timescales support the view that these changes are not mediated by improved motor function., (Copyright © 2023 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Parkinsonian bradykinesia is rated using a composite scale incorporating the slowed frequency of repetitive movements, decrement amplitude and arrhythmicity. Differential localization of these movement components within the basal ganglia will drive the development of more personalized network-targeted symptomatic therapies. In this study, using an optical motion sensor, we evaluated the amplitude and frequency of hand movements during a grasping task with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation 'on' or 'off' in 15 patients with Parkinson's disease. The severity of bradykinesia was assessed blindly using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Part III scale. The volumes of activated tissue of each subject were estimated where changes in amplitude and frequency were mapped to identify distinct anatomical substrates of each component in the subthalamic nucleus. The volumes of activated tissue were used to seed a normative functional connectome to generate connectivity maps associated with amplitude and frequency changes. Deep brain stimulation-induced change in amplitude was negatively correlated with a change in Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Part III scale for right ( r = -0.65, P < 0.05) and left hand grasping scores ( r = -0.63, P < 0.05). The change in frequency was negatively correlated with amplitude for both right ( r = -0.63, P < 0.05) and left hands ( r = -0.57, P < 0.05). The amplitude and frequency changes were represented as a spatial gradient with overlapping and non-overlapping regions spanning the anteromedial-posterolateral axis of the subthalamic nucleus. Whole-brain correlation maps between functional connectivity and motor changes were also inverted between amplitude and frequency changes. Deep brain stimulation-associated changes in frequency and amplitude were topographically and distinctly represented both locally in the subthalamic nucleus and in whole-brain functional connectivity., Competing Interests: W.S.A. sits on the Advisory Boards of Longeviti Neuro Solution and is a paid consultant for Globus Medical. All other authors report no conflicts of interest related to the current research., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.)

Introduction: Impulse control disorders (ICD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) and hypomanic episodes of bipolar disorder show overlapping symptoms, suggesting a shared neurobiology. To explore this, the following hypotheses are tested: (1) larger changes in affective symptoms from OFF to ON medication states will be associated with ICD, (2) antidepressant exposure will be associated with larger OFF to ON affective symptom changes, and (3) antidepressant exposure will be associated with ICD., Methods: 200 participants (mean age 65, 61 % male) were evaluated in "off" and "on" dopamine states. Affective symptoms were captured using the Hamilton Anxiety and Depression Rating Scales. Differences in clinical outcomes were compared using two-sample Wilcoxon rank-sum tests and Pearson χ2 tests. We performed multivariable logistic regression to assess the association of antidepressant exposure on ICD., Results: Participants with an ICD had higher anxiety and depressive scores in "on" and "off" states and larger changes in depressive symptoms from OFF to ON states compared to those without an ICD. Participants on antidepressants had higher anxiety scores in "on" and "off" states, higher depressive scores in the "off" state, and larger changes in anxiety symptoms from OFF to ON states than those not on an antidepressant. Antidepressant use was associated with a higher odds of an ICD (OR 2.3, CI [1.0-4.5], p-value 0.04)., Conclusions: Affective symptom severity in "on" and "off" dopamine states is associated with ICD. Antidepressant therapy may be associated with ICD. Future prospective studies clarifying temporal associations between antidepressant initiation and ICD emergence are needed., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Christopher B Morrow reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health (KL2TR003099). Gregory M Pontone reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health (5K23AG044441 and 1R01MH123552). Joseph Seemiller reports financial support was provided by the Parkinson's Foundation., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A low-cost quantitative structured office measurement of movements in the extremities of people with Parkinson's disease [1,2] was performed on participants with Parkinson's disease and multiple system atrophy as well as age- and sex-matched healthy participants with typical development. Participants underwent twelve videotaped procedures rated by a trained examiner while connected to four accelerometers [1,2] generating a trace of the three location dimensions expressed as spreadsheets [3,4]. The signals of the five repetitive motion items (3.4 Finger tapping, 3.5 Hand movements, 3.6 Pronation-supination movements of hands, 3.7 Toe tapping, and 3.8 Leg agility) [1] underwent processing to fast Fourier [5] and amor and bump continuous wavelet transforms [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13]. Images of the signals and their transforms [4], [5], [6] of the five repetitive tasks of each participant were randomly expressed as panels on an electronic framework for rating by 35 trained examiners who did not know the source of the original output [14]. The team of international raters completed ratings of the signals and their transforms independently using criteria like the scoring systems for live assessments of movements in human participants [1,2]. The raters scored signals and transforms for deficits in the sustained performance of rhythmic movements (interruptions, slowing, and amplitude decrements) often observed in people with Parkinson's disease [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20]. Raters were first presented the images of the signals and transforms of a man with multiple system atrophy as a test and a retest in a different random order. After the raters completed the assessments of the man with multiple system atrophy, they were presented random test and retest panels of the images of signals and transforms of ten participants with Parkinson's disease who completed a single rating session. After the raters completed the assessments of the participants with Parkinson's disease who completed one set of ratings, they were presented random test and retest panels of the images of signals and transforms of (A) ten participants with Parkinson's disease and (B) eight age- and sex-match healthy participants with typical development who completed two rating session separated by a month or more [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20]. The data provide a framework for further analysis of the acquired information. Additionally, the data provide a template for the construction of electronic frameworks for the remote analysis by trained raters of signals and transforms of rhythmic processes to verify that the systems are operating smoothly without interruptions or changes in frequency and amplitude. Thus, the data provide the foundations to construct electronic frameworks for the virtual quality assurance of a vast spectrum of rhythmic processes. The dataset is a suitable template for solving unsupervised and supervised machine learning algorithms. Readers may utilize this procedure to assure the quality of rhythmic processes by confirming the absence of deviations in rate and rhythm. Thus, this procedure provides the means to confirm the quality of the vast spectrum of rhythmic processes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

A low-cost quantitative continuous measurement of movements in the extremities of people with Parkinson's disease, a structured motor assessment administered by a trained examiner to a patient physically present in the same room, utilizes sensors to generate output to facilitate the evaluation of the patient. However, motor assessments with the patient and the examiner in the same room may not be feasible due to distances between the patient and the examiner and the risk of transmission of infections between the patient and the examiner. Therefore, we propose a protocol for the remote assessment by examiners in different locations of both (A) videos of patients recorded during in-person motor assessments and (B) live virtual assessments of patients in different locations from examiners. The proposed procedure provides a framework for providers, investigators, and patients in vastly diverse locations to conduct optimal motor assessments required to develop treatment plans utilizing precision medicine tailored to the specific needs of each individual patient. The proposed protocol generates the foundation for providers to remotely perform structured motor assessments necessary for optimal diagnosis and treatment of people with Parkinson's disease and related conditions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Author(s).)

Adnexal lesions are a common finding in women and pose a clinical challenge since ovarian cancer is a highly lethal disease. However, most adnexal masses are benign, benefiting from a more conservative approach. In preoperative assessment, transvaginal ultrasound plays a key role in evaluating morphologic features that correlate with the risk of malignancy. The acoustic shadow is the loss of echo behind sound-absorbing components, such as calcifications or fibrous tissues, which are predominantly found in benign lesions. However, recognizing the acoustic shadow is a difficult skill to master, and its usefulness may be underappreciated., (© 2022 The Authors. Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine.)

We aimed to identify caregiver characteristics associated with the trajectory of quality of life (QoL) in Parkinson's disease (PD). We fit a growth mixture model to longitudinal data from the Parkinson Foundation Parkinson's Outcomes Project (POP) to identify the heterogeneity of QOL trajectories in PD. We then used multinomial logistic regression to model baseline factors that predicted class membership. Baseline growth models were fit to QOL scores measured over 4 disease duration time points. A random intercept and slope model was determined to best fit the data. Next, growth mixture models (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5-class) were fit with covariates (Hoehn & Yahr, sex, and depression) and a three-class model was found to provide the best fit. Class 1 (problematic class (10.0%)) represented individuals with poor QOL at baseline and minor improvement over time. Class 2 (moderate class (32.6%)) represented individuals with moderate QOL at baseline with slight worsening over time. Class 3 (favorable class (56.9%)) represented individuals with good QOL at baseline and slight worsening over time. Multinomial regression revealed that lower caregiver strain, better mobility, and better verbal fluency at baseline predicted membership in the favorable compared to the moderate class. Worse mobility and younger age predicted membership in the problematic compared to the moderate class. While previous studies have reported on the association between mobility and cognition, the novel finding of an association between caregiver strain and PD QOL trajectory suggests caregiver strain is important to measure and address in future research and practice., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that can reduce quality of life (QOL). Previous research has explored patient specific factors that influence QOL; but understanding external factors that may also affect patient QOL, such as caregiver characteristics, can provide additional intervention targets that may improve QOL for both the person with PD and their caregiver., Methods: We conducted a systematic review of existing literature on caregiver factors that are related to QOL for the person with PD. We developed a tailored search strategy in six databases and performed a screening procedure according to PRISMA guidelines. We synthesized findings from articles that met inclusion criteria using a narrative approach and identified themes categorizing caregiver factors associated with PD QOL., Results: We found 32 full-text articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria and passed the quality appraisal. Seven themes were identified, including: (1) burden, (2) strain, (3) QOL and satisfaction, (4) demographic factors, (5) psychological factors, (6) relationship factors, and (7) caregiver input., Conclusions: Our review presents critical insights into the role of the caregiver in the QOL of a person with PD. Findings reveal several targets for intervention to improve QOL in this population., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Educational institutions are increasingly investing into digital delivery, acquiring new devices, and employing novel software and services. The rising costs associated with maintenance, in combination with increasing redundancy of older technologies, presents multiple challenges. While lesson content itself may not have changed, the educational landscape constantly evolves, where tertiary institutions are incorporating new modes of content delivery, hybrid-style learning, and interactive technologies. Investments into digital expansions must be taken with caution, particularly prior to the procurement of technology, with a need for the proposed interventions' scalability, sustainability, and serviceability to be considered. This article presents the Triple-S framework for educators, administrators, and educational institutions, and outlines examples of its application within curricula. The paper synthesises research evidence to provide the foundation underlying the key principles of the Triple-S framework, presenting a useful model to use when evaluating digital interventions. Utilising the framework for decisions regarding the acquisition of educational technology, devices, software, applications, and online resources can assist in the assurance of viable and  appropriate investments., Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Objectives: Multiple exposures to gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) is known to be associated with gadolinium deposition in the brain in certain patients. Such deposition has been correlated with specific brain MRI findings, although most available data is in patients with underlying neurologic disorders. We aim to prospectively evaluate brain MRI signal changes as well as neurologic and neuropsychologic testing results in women undergoing screening breast MRI., Methods: In this IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant prospective study, 9 women with 5 or more exposures to linear and/or macrocyclic GBCA due to screening breast MRI underwent noncontrast brain MRI, neurologic exam and neuropsychologic testing. Women with underlying neurologic, psychologic, hepatic or renal disorders were excluded., Results: The mean total number of GBCA exposures was 8 (standard deviation 2.7), with 63/72 (87%) of the exposures being linear agents. There was no association between brain MRI signal changes and abnormalities on neurologic or neuropsychologic examination. There was no association between total number of GBCA exposures and abnormalities on neurologic or neuropsychologic examination., Conclusion: In this prospective exploratory study of 9 women with 5 or more GBCA exposures due to screening breast MRI, there was no association between brain MRI signal changes and clinical abnormalities on neurologic or neuropsychologic examination. While larger studies are needed in this patient population, the lack of clinical impact of multiple GBCA exposures in this study is reassuring., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Anxiety that occurs in association with on-off dopamine medication fluctuations is a major cause of distress, dysfunction, and lower quality of life in people with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the association between anxiety and on-off fluctuations is poorly understood and it is difficult to predict which patients will suffer from this atypical form of anxiety. To understand whether fluctuating anxiety in PD exists as part of an endophenotype that is associated with other signs or symptoms, we prospectively assessed the change in anxiety and a battery of clinical variables when transitioning from the off-dopamine medication state to the on state in 200 people with PD. We performed latent profile analysis with observed variables as latent profile indicators measuring the on-off-state difference in anxiety, depression, motor function, daily functioning, and the wearing off questionnaire 19 item scale (WOQ-19) in order to model unobserved (i.e., latent) profiles. A two-class model produced the best fit. The majority of participants, 69%, were categorized as having a 'typical on-off response' compared to a second profile constituting 31% of the sample who experienced a worsening in anxiety in the off state that was three times that of other participants. This profile referred to as "anxious fluctuators" had a Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale change between the off and on medication state of 10.22(32.85) compared to 3.27 (7.62), higher depression scores, greater disability and was less likely to improve on select WOQ-19 items when in the on-state. Anxious fluctuators were more likely to be male and have a family history of anxiety disorder. Given the adverse impact of this profile we believe it may be important to distinguish patients with a typical on-off response from those with this more problematic course of fluctuations., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A low-cost quantitative continuous measurement of movements utilizes accelerometers to generate signal outputs to precisely record the positions of extremities during the performance of movements. This procedure can readily be accomplished with inexpensive materials constructed indivisuals throughout the world. The proposed protocol provides the framework for trained raters to assess the signal outputs by visual observation to generate objective measurements like the measurements of the actual movements. Expert raters can then remotely give quantitative suggestions for providers in underserved regions to utilize precision medicine to develop optimal treatment plans tailored to the specific needs of each individual. The proposed protocol lays the foundations for experts located in tertiary centers to provide optimal assessments of signal outputs generated remotely in underserved regions. This protocol provides the means to address gaps in current research including the dearth of objective measurements of movements utilizing automatic intelligence and machine learning to accurately and precisely analyze movement assessments. Future research will include the development of robotic tools to perform assessments and analyses of the movements of human beings to enhance the conduct of movement evaluations of people with Parkinson's disease and related conditions to apply precision medicine for optimal diagnostic and therapeutic interventions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Exercise and physical therapy (PT) can improve motor function and quality of life in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD), but their role in hospitalization avoidance is not well-studied., Objectives: To determine the longitudinal and temporal association of exercise and PT use with hospital encounter., Methods: Longitudinal regression and χ 2 analyses were performed on Parkinson's Foundation Parkinson's Outcome Project exercise and PT use data from 4674 and 9259 persons with PD, respectively., Results: Greater exercise duration and intensity were associated with reduced odds of hospital encounter, whereas both PT and occupational therapy use were associated with increased odds. In the 2 years before a hospital encounter, there was an increased frequency of PT use, but not reductions in exercise., Conclusions: Consistent exercise may reduce hospitalization risk whereas PT referral may identify at-risk individuals without preventing this outcome. Further work to incentivize consistent exercise in PD may reduce healthcare use., (© 2022 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

Objective: To test the hypothesis that striatal dopamine function influences motivational alterations in Parkinson disease (PD), we compared vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) and dopamine transporter (DaT) imaging data in PD patients with impulse control disorders (ICDs), apathy, or neither., Methods: We extracted striatal binding ratios (SBR) from VMAT2 PET imaging ( 18 F-AV133) and DaTscans from the Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) multicenter observational study. Apathy and ICDs were assessed using the Movement Disorders Society-revised Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease (QUIP), respectively. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) and log-linear mixed-effects (LME) regression to model SBRs with neurobehavioral metrics., Results: Among 23 participants (mean age 62.7 years, mean disease duration 1.8 years) with VMAT2 imaging data, 5 had apathy, 5 had an ICD, and 13 had neither. ANOVA indicated strong groupwise differences in VMAT2 binding in right anterior putamen [F(2,20) = 16.2, p < 0.0001), right posterior putamen [F(2,20) = 16.9, p < 0.0001), and right caudate [F(2,20) = 6.8, p = 0.006)]. Post-hoc tests and repeated-measures analysis with LME regression also supported right striatal VMAT2 elevation in the ICD group and reduction in the apathy group relative to the group with neither ICD nor apathy. DaT did not exhibit similar correlations, but normalizing VMAT2 with DaT SBR strengthened bidirectional correlations with ICD (high VMAT2/DaT) and apathy (low VMAT2/DaT) in all striatal regions bilaterally., Conclusions: Our findings constitute preliminary evidence that striatal presynaptic dopaminergic function helps describe the neurobiological basis of motivational dysregulation in PD, from high in ICDs to low in apathy.

Background: The number of trinucleotide CAG repeats is inversely correlated with the age at onset (AAO) of motor symptoms in individuals with Spinocerebellar Ataxia type 3 (SCA 3) and may be responsible for 50%-60% of the variability in AAO. Drawing from a social determinants of health model, we sought to determine if educational attainment further contributes to the AAO and motor symptom progression of SCA 3., Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review in which twenty individuals met criteria for inclusion and had been seen by an ataxia specialist at our hospital between January 2005 and July 2019. AAO of motor symptoms and Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) scores were used as primary outcome measures., Results: Using a linear regression, we found that having greater CAG repeat length and greater than 16 years of education results in an earlier AAO. The importance of the CAG repeat length on AAO, however, is greater amongst individuals with lower education. Using a linear mixed model evaluating SARA score over time with AAO, we found that less than 16 years of education is associated with faster progression of the disease., Conclusion: In our group of SCA 3 patients, level of education correlated with both the AAO and SARA scores. Though our findings need to be confirmed with a larger cohort, our study suggests that level of education can have a strong influence on health outcomes in SCA 3 and possibly other groups of patients with ataxia., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) in which the amplitude of a faster field potential oscillation is coupled to the phase of a slower rhythm, is one of the most well-studied interactions between oscillations at different frequency bands. In a healthy brain, PAC accompanies cognitive functions such as learning and memory, and changes in PAC have been associated with neurological diseases including Parkinson's disease (PD), schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, and epilepsy., Objective: /Hypothesis: In PD, normalization of PAC in the motor cortex has been reported in the context of effective treatments such as dopamine replacement therapy and deep brain stimulation (DBS), but the possibility of normalizing PAC through intervention at the cortex has not been shown in humans. Phase-targeted stimulation (PDS) has a strong potential to modulate PAC levels and potentially normalize it., Methods: We applied stimulation pulses triggered by specific phases of the beta oscillations, the low frequency oscillations that define phase of gamma amplitude in beta-gamma PAC, to the motor cortex of seven PD patients at rest during DBS lead placement surgery We measured the effect on PAC modulation in the motor cortex relative to stimulation-free periods., Results: We describe a system for phase-targeted stimulation locked to specific phases of a continuously updated slow local field potential oscillation (in this case, beta band oscillations) prediction. Stimulation locked to the phase of the peak of beta oscillations increased beta-gamma coupling both during and after stimulation in the motor cortex, and the opposite phase (trough) stimulation reduced the magnitude of coupling after stimulation., Conclusion: These results demonstrate the capacity of cortical phase-targeted stimulation to modulate PAC without evoking motor activation, which could allow applications in the treatment of neurological disorders associated with abnormal PAC, such as PD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest WSA serves on the advisory boards of Longeviti NeuroSolutions, and NeuroLogic. He also serves as a compensated consultant to Globus Medical. The other authors declare no competing financial interests or conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus or globus pallidus internus is used to treat the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The former can worsen impulsive and compulsive behaviors after controlling for the reduction of dopaminergic medications. However, the effect of pallidal DBS on such behaviors in PD patients is less clear., Objective/hypothesis: We hypothesized that greater stimulation spread to the pallidum with prefrontal connectivity would reduce motor impulsivity., Methods: Seven Parkinson's patients with stable globus pallidus internus DBS settings for 3 months, disease duration of 13 ± 1.3 years, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment of 26.8 ± 1.1 each had two stimulation settings defined based on reconstructions of lead placement and volume of tissue activation targeting either a dorsal or ventral position along the DBS electrode but still within the globus pallidus internus. Subjects performed a stop signal reaction time task with the DBS turned off vs. on in each of the defined stimulation settings, which was correlated with the degree of stimulation effect on pallidal subregions., Results: A shorter distance between the volume of tissue activation and the right prefrontally-connected GPi correlated with less impulsivity on the stop signal reaction time task (r = 0.69, p < 0.05). Greater volume of tissue activation overlap with the non-prefrontally-connected globus pallidus internus was associated with increased impulsivity., Conclusion: These data can be leveraged to optimize DBS programming in PD patients with problematic impulsivity or in other disorders involving impulsive behaviors such as substance use disorders., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

It is well established that lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), particularly urinary urgency and incontinence, cause stress and anxiety for patients. However, there is mounting evidence that the relationship between these two factors is bidirectional and that chronic psychological stress itself can result in the development of symptoms such as urinary frequency, urgency, incontinence, and pelvic pain. This review considers the evidence that such a relationship exists and reviews the literature from clinical and animal studies to identify some of the mechanisms that might be involved. Inflammatory responses induced by chronic stress appear to offer the strongest link to bladder dysfunction. There is overwhelming evidence, both in patients and animal models, for a release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines during periods of chronic stress. Furthermore, cytokines have been shown to cause bladder dysfunction and pain via actions in the central nervous system and locally in the bladder. In the brain and spinal cord, pro-inflammatory cytokines influence the regulation of micturition pathways by corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and its receptors, while peripherally cytokines affect bladder function, directly causing detrusor hypertrophy and afferent nerve hypersensitivity. There is little information on which treatments may have most benefit for stressed/anxious patients with LUTS, but animal studies suggest traditional drugs for overactive bladder (solifenacin, mirabegron) are more effective on LUTS than anxiolytic drugs (fluoxetine, imipramine). The preliminary preclinical data for CRF receptor antagonists is not consistent. A clearer understanding of the mechanisms involved in stress-induced LUTS should provide a basis for improved treatment of this condition., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: To describe the impact a global pandemic has had on a teaching movement disorders program, as well as its subsequent transition to telemedicine. Methods: In the midst of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we transitioned our movement disorders fellowship program virtually over the course of a few days. Here we describe the parameters used for the telemedicine fellow supervised clinic visit over the course of 2 months. Fellow's input was obtained from a brief survey at the end of the experience. Faculty's experience was collected upon independent faculty discussions. We also summarize the challenges and advantages of this teaching experience and its downsides. Results: A total of 130 patients (102 follow-up and 28 new patients) were seen over 22 clinic days with any of our 3 fellows being supervised by 1 of the 6 attending physicians. The main challenges were related to technical difficulties and lack of portions of the examination such as tone, reflexes, and sensory testing. The main advantages were related to increased patient access and a decrease in scheduling barriers. The overall satisfaction with the experience of the fellows was positive (69%). Conclusions: This sample shows the feasibility (despite lack of prior experience) of virtual clinical supervision of movement disorders fellows for follow-up and new complex patient encounters. This novel method for movement disorders training has implications for training locally, nationally, and internationally. Limitations and possible future directions such as the inclusion of nonsynchronous recordings and devices for tone and balance testing are also discussed.

Background: The pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease include intraneuronal Lewy bodies, neuronal loss, and gliosis. We aim to correlate Parkinson's disease neuropsychiatric symptoms, (e.g., depression, psychosis, and anxiety) with the severity of neuropathology in the substantia nigra and locus coeruleus., Methods: The brains of 175 participants with a primary pathologic diagnosis of Parkinson's disease were analyzed semi-quantitatively to ascertain the burden of neuronal loss and gliosis and Lewy body pathology within the locus coeruleus and substantia nigra. Participants' history of anxiety, depression, and psychosis were determined using a chart-extracted medical history or record of formal psychiatric evaluation., Results: Of the sample, 56% (n = 98), 50% (n = 88), and 31.25% (n = 55) of subjects had a diagnosis of psychosis, depression, and anxiety, respectively. Psychosis (χ 2  = 7.1, p = 0.008, df = 1) and depression (χ 2  = 7.2, p = 0.007, df = 1) were associated with severe neuronal loss and gliosis in the substantia nigra but not in the locus coeruleus. No association was observed between anxiety and neuronal loss and gliosis in either region. No neuropsychiatric symptoms were associated with Lewy body score. After controlling for disease duration and dementia, psychosis (odds ratio [OR]: 3.1, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-6.4, χ 2  = 9.4, p = 0.012, df = 1) and depression (OR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.3-5.0, χ 2  = 7.9, p = 0.005, df = 1) remained associated with severe neuronal loss and gliosis in the substantia nigra., Conclusion: These results suggest that psychosis and depression in Parkinson's disease are associated with the underlying neurodegenerative process and demonstrate that cell loss and gliosis may be a better marker of neuropsychiatric symptoms than Lewy body pathology., (Copyright © 2020 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Psychological stress has been linked to the development and exacerbation of overactive bladder symptoms, as well as afferent sensitisation in other organ systems. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of water avoidance stress on bladder afferent nerve activity in response to bladder filling and pharmaceutical stimulation with carbachol and ATP in mice. Adult female C57BL/6J mice were exposed to either water avoidance stress (WAS) for 1 h/day for 10 days or normal housing conditions. Voiding behaviour was measured before starting and 24-h after final stress exposure and then animals were euthanised to measure afferent nerve activity in association with bladder compliance, spontaneous phasic activity, contractile responses, as well as release of urothelial mediators. WAS caused increased urinary frequency without affecting urine production. The afferent nerve activity at low bladder pressures (4-7 mmHg), relevant to normal physiological filling, was significantly increased after stress. Both low and high threshold nerves demonstrated enhanced activity at physiological bladder pressures. Urothelial ATP and acetylcholine release and bladder compliance were unaffected by stress as was the detrusor response to ATP (1 mM) and carbachol (1 µM). WAS caused enhanced activity of individual afferent nerve fibres in response bladder distension. The enhanced activity was seen in both low and high threshold nerves suggesting that stressed animals may experience enhanced bladder filling sensations at lower bladder volumes as well as increased pain sensations, both potentially contributing to the increased urinary frequency seen after stress., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Background: The Quality of Life in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QoL) is a publicly available health-related quality-of-life measurement system., Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of Neuro-QoL item banks as outcome measures for clinical trials in Parkinson's disease., Methods: An analysis of Neuro-QoL responsiveness to change and construct validity was performed in a multicenter clinical trial cohort., Results: Among 310 participants over 3 years, changes in five of eight Neuro-QoL domains were significant (P < 0.05) but very modest. The largest effect sizes were seen in the cognition and mobility domains (0.35-0.39). The largest effect size for change over the year in which levodopa was initiated was -0.19 for lower extremity function-mobility. For a similarly designed clinical trial, estimated sample size required to demonstrate a 50% reduction in worsening ranged from 420 to more than 1000 participants per group., Conclusions: More sensitive tools will be required to serve as an outcome measure in early Parkinson's disease. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society., (© 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent and have major adverse effects on function and quality of life in Parkinson's disease (PD). Optimal management requires that motor symptoms and psychiatric symptoms be simultaneously addressed. While there is fairly robust evidence for the treatment of motor symptoms, there are no completed randomized controlled trials to guide pharmacological treatment of anxiety in PD and no nonpharmacologic interventions have proven efficacious. Several high-quality trials for depression in PD suggest a number of antidepressants and cognitive behavioral therapy may help, but there is no data on rates of recurrence, comparative efficacy, or augmentation strategies. In order to address the gaps in knowledge, the authors provide a summary of the current evidence for treating depression and anxiety in PD and offer an algorithm that extends beyond the current literature based on clinical experience working in a multidisciplinary specialty center., (Copyright © 2021 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has become a standard treatment option for select patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The selection process and surgical procedures employed have, to date, not been standardized., Methods: A comprehensive 58-question web-based survey was developed with a focus on DBS referral practices and peri-operative management. The survey was distributed to the Parkinson's Foundation Centers of Excellence, members of the International Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders Society, and the Parkinson Study Group (Functional Neurosurgery Working Group) between December 2015 and May 2016., Results: There were 207 individual respondents (20% response rate) drawn from 59 countries and 6 continents, of whom 64% received formal training in DBS. Thirteen percent of centers reported that DBS could proceed despite a confidence level of < 50% for PD diagnosis. A case-based approach to DBS candidacy was applied in 51.3% of centers without a cut-off for levodopa-responsiveness. Surprisingly, 33% of centers regularly used imaging for diagnostic confirmation of idiopathic PD. Thirty-one percent of centers reported that neuropsychological evaluation did not affect DBS target selection. Approximately half of the respondents reported determination of DBS candidacy based on a multidisciplinary committee evaluation and 1/3 rd reported that a committee was used for target selection. Eight percent of respondents felt that psychosocial factors should not impact DBS candidacy nor site selection. Involvement of allied health professionals in the preoperative process was sparse. There was high variability in preoperative education about DBS outcome expectations. Approximately half of the respondents did not utilize a "default brain target," though STN was used more commonly than GPi. Specific DBS procedure techniques applied, as well as follow-up timelines, were highly variable., Conclusion: Results revealed high variability on the best approaches for DBS candidate selection, brain target selection, procedure type, and postoperative practices. Cognitive and mood assessments were underutilized. There was low reliance on multidisciplinary teams or psychosocial factors to impact the decision-making process. There were small but significant differences in practice across global regions, especially regarding multidisciplinary teams. The wide variability of responses across multiple facets of DBS care highlights the need for prospective studies to inform evidence-based guidelines., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mahajan, Butala, Okun, Mari and Mills.)

Background: Punding is a complication of Parkinson's disease (PD) treatment and stimulant abuse that features excessive preoccupation with repetitive and/or aimless behaviors. We hypothesized that cognitive impairment and functional limitations influence how punding behaviors manifest in PD., Methods: We extracted data on punding, hobbyism, and cognition from the Parkinson's Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI). Punding and hobbyism were measured with the Questionnaire for Impulsive-Compulsive Disorders in Parkinson's Disease (QUIP) scale. We determined how cognition predicted punding and hobbyism behaviors-adjusting for levodopa dose, Hoehn & Yahr stage, disease duration, and age-using generalized estimating equation (GEE) logistic regression. Activities of daily living (ADL) and motor impairment were measured with the MDS-UPDRS scale., Results: In GEE logistic regression models, punding was selectively associated with lower scores on the Letter Number Sequencing test (LNS), the primary attention test in PPMI (Odds ratio: 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79-0.96); p = 0.022). This was corroborated by a subscale-analysis of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores, as only the attention subscale was significantly associated with punding (OR: 0.59 (0.45-0.77); p < 0.001). Baseline impairment in LNS (Hazard ratio: 2.52 (1.22-5.20); p = 0.012) and MoCA attention (HR: 2.68 (1.32-5.42); p = 0.006) predicted earlier punding in Cox regression. In turn, ADL dysfunction predicted punding (OR: 1.55 (1.20-2.00); p < 0.001), but not hobbyism., Conclusion: Attentional dysfunction is a domain-specific cognitive biomarker of punding risk in PD. Further, attentional capacity and functional impairment may determine the complexity of perseverative behaviors on the continuum from rudimentary punding to semi-purposeful hobbyism., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Heterozygous mutations in KMT2B are associated with an early-onset, progressive and often complex dystonia (DYT28). Key characteristics of typical disease include focal motor features at disease presentation, evolving through a caudocranial pattern into generalized dystonia, with prominent oromandibular, laryngeal and cervical involvement. Although KMT2B-related disease is emerging as one of the most common causes of early-onset genetic dystonia, much remains to be understood about the full spectrum of the disease. We describe a cohort of 53 patients with KMT2B mutations, with detailed delineation of their clinical phenotype and molecular genetic features. We report new disease presentations, including atypical patterns of dystonia evolution and a subgroup of patients with a non-dystonic neurodevelopmental phenotype. In addition to the previously reported systemic features, our study has identified co-morbidities, including the risk of status dystonicus, intrauterine growth retardation, and endocrinopathies. Analysis of this study cohort (n = 53) in tandem with published cases (n = 80) revealed that patients with chromosomal deletions and protein truncating variants had a significantly higher burden of systemic disease (with earlier onset of dystonia) than those with missense variants. Eighteen individuals had detailed longitudinal data available after insertion of deep brain stimulation for medically refractory dystonia. Median age at deep brain stimulation was 11.5 years (range: 4.5-37.0 years). Follow-up after deep brain stimulation ranged from 0.25 to 22 years. Significant improvement of motor function and disability (as assessed by the Burke Fahn Marsden's Dystonia Rating Scales, BFMDRS-M and BFMDRS-D) was evident at 6 months, 1 year and last follow-up (motor, P = 0.001, P = 0.004, and P = 0.012; disability, P = 0.009, P = 0.002 and P = 0.012). At 1 year post-deep brain stimulation, >50% of subjects showed BFMDRS-M and BFMDRS-D improvements of >30%. In the long-term deep brain stimulation cohort (deep brain stimulation inserted for >5 years, n = 8), improvement of >30% was maintained in 5/8 and 3/8 subjects for the BFMDRS-M and BFMDRS-D, respectively. The greatest BFMDRS-M improvements were observed for trunk (53.2%) and cervical (50.5%) dystonia, with less clinical impact on laryngeal dystonia. Improvements in gait dystonia decreased from 20.9% at 1 year to 16.2% at last assessment; no patient maintained a fully independent gait. Reduction of BFMDRS-D was maintained for swallowing (52.9%). Five patients developed mild parkinsonism following deep brain stimulation. KMT2B-related disease comprises an expanding continuum from infancy to adulthood, with early evidence of genotype-phenotype correlations. Except for laryngeal dysphonia, deep brain stimulation provides a significant improvement in quality of life and function with sustained clinical benefit depending on symptoms distribution., (© The Author(s) (2020). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)