Recently published research papers and articles http://www.epda.eu.com/research-news.rss This study produced consistent findings that UA might have a protective effect against Parkinson's disease and could influence its clinical progression. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/eur-j-neurol/2012-05-12-eurjneurol/ 17219 Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120512000000 Wed, 16 May 2012 08:57:06 GMT 20120516085706 Wed, 16 May 2012 09:03:48 GMT 201205160990348 Given the prevalence of protein misfolding and activation of the unfolded protein response in several neurodegenerative diseases, these results suggest that manipulation of common pathways such as translational control, rather than disease-specific approaches, may lead to new therapies preventing synaptic failure and neuronal loss across the spectrum of these disorders. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-05-06-nature/ 17212 Sun, 06 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120506000000 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:58:36 GMT 20120509155836 Wed, 09 May 2012 16:11:45 GMT 201205091641145 Patients with idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder in an ongoing cohort study were evaluated annually with several quantitative motor measures, including the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Purdue Pegboard, alternate-tap test and timed up-and-go. Patients who developed parkinsonism were identified from this cohort and matched according to age to normal controls. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/brain/2012-05-04-brain/ 17207 Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120504000000 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:21:54 GMT 20120509152154 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:26:56 GMT 201205091532656 These findings suggest that viral agents can sensitize microglial-dependent inflammatory responses, thereby rendering nigral DA neurons vulnerable to further environmental toxin exposure. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-05-04-jneurinflam/ 17185 Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120504000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 17:54:07 GMT 20120505175407 Sat, 05 May 2012 18:01:03 GMT 201205051860103 To conclude, the similar declines in L-dopa-induced AIMs in nicotine-treated wildtype mice and in α6(-/-) mice treated with and without nicotine indicate an essential role for α6β2* nAChRs in the maintenance of L-dopa-induced AIMs. These findings suggest that α6β2* nAChR drugs have potential for reducing L-dopa-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-05-03-neuropharmacol/ 17206 Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120503000000 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:12:57 GMT 20120509151257 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:19:10 GMT 201205091531910 No significant differences were found in UPDRS scores for subjects taking antidepressants compared with those not taking antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants are associated with a delay in reaching the end point of need to start dopaminergic therapy. The lack of change in overall UPDRS scores suggests the delay was not attributable to symptomatic effects. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/mdj/2012-05-03-movdisord/ 17205 Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120503000000 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:05:05 GMT 20120509150505 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:16:06 GMT 201205091531606 Because much of the mitochondrial burden created by this at-risk phenotype is created by Ca2+ entry through L-type voltage-dependent channels for which there are antagonists approved for human use, a neuroprotective strategy to reduce this burden is feasible. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-05-02-cshperspect-1/ 17208 Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120502000000 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:30:40 GMT 20120509153040 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:36:18 GMT 201205091533618 No association was found between the AST and MDS-UPDRS part III, indicating that AST discriminates well (discriminative validity) between apraxia and parkinsonism. Furthermore, AST was associated with ADL and Hoehn & Yahr stage (convergent validity). http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/prd/2012-05-01-prelatdisord/ 16110 Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120501000000 Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:17:32 GMT 20120103081732 Wed, 09 May 2012 07:31:17 GMT 201205090773117 All subjects showed immunostaining for alpha-synuclein (two, five and two years before first motor Parkinson's disease symptom). No similar alpha-synuclein immunostaining was seen in 23 healthy controls. Staining of samples for substance P suggested colocalization of alpha-synuclein and substance P in perikarya and neurites. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/mdj/2012-05-01-movdisord/ 17186 Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120501000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 18:04:24 GMT 20120505180424 Sat, 05 May 2012 18:09:33 GMT 201205051860933 The authors briefly draw attention to aspects of existing pharmacological and surgical therapies as they relate to the PARK2-linked variant; thereafter, they comment on new research avenues that are aimed at future therapeutic interventions to eventually slow or arrest the progression of a first variant of PD. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-05-01-currtreatoptneuro/ 17191 Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120501000000 Sun, 06 May 2012 15:31:58 GMT 20120506153158 Sun, 06 May 2012 15:38:51 GMT 201205061533851 Conclusions: People living in the community with PD have a significant burden of disability. Health related quality of life is also quite poor in people with PD compared to other disabled populations. This study helps to quantify the significant care needs of people with PD. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/prd/2012-04-30-prelatdisord-1/ 17179 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120430000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 15:29:18 GMT 20120505152918 Sat, 05 May 2012 15:42:47 GMT 201205051534247 Stimulating D1 receptorexpressing neurons induced persistent reinforcement, whereas stimulating D2 receptorexpressing neurons induced transient punishment, indicating that activation of these circuits is sufficient to modify the probability of performing future actions. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-29-natneurosci/ 17187 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120429000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 18:16:58 GMT 20120505181658 Sat, 05 May 2012 18:21:28 GMT 201205051862128 In conclusion, VIP might display synaptogenetic activity by enhancing the spine density in the striatum of the parkinsonian rats. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-29-jmolneurosci/ 17189 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120429000000 Sun, 06 May 2012 12:37:37 GMT 20120506123737 Sun, 06 May 2012 12:43:05 GMT 2012050612124305 The present paper put forward the existing rationale evidence for the use of N-acetyl-cysteine alone or in combination with levodopa in the clinical management of this neurodegenerative disorder. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-28-medhypoth/ 17190 Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120428000000 Sun, 06 May 2012 12:44:17 GMT 20120506124417 Sun, 06 May 2012 15:29:37 GMT 201205061532937 Mass spectrometrybased biomarker discovery, undoubtedly, is still in its early stage of infancy. However, in light of the potential of this technology to provide deep coverage of the body fluid proteomes, it will certainly consolidate its role in development molecular medicine into clinical practice. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-28-ctgegr/ 17176 Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120428000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 15:17:48 GMT 20120505151748 Sat, 05 May 2012 15:27:45 GMT 201205051532745 This limited available evidence on the efficacy of integrative healthcare delivery models in PD should serve as a call-to-action for clinicians to work to improve the care, and subsequently the quality of life, of PD patients through streamlining PD-specialized care with multiple complementary clinicians and incorporating patient preferences and goals into treatment. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-27-integcarepd/ 17182 Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120427000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 17:23:03 GMT 20120505172303 Sat, 05 May 2012 17:31:41 GMT 201205051753141 On the other hand it has been observed that certain aspects of cognitive performance may decline after DBS, namely when the therapeutic target is the widely used subthalamic nucleus. These are important pieces of information for patients, their families, and health care professionals. This manuscript reviews these aspects and their clinical implications. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-26-frontneur/ 17129 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120426000000 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:50:44 GMT 20120430105044 Tue, 15 May 2012 15:39:56 GMT 201205151533956 The evidence for the utility of olfaction, RBD, autonomic markers, visual changes, mood disorders, and cognitive loss as markers of prodromal PD and the potential sensitivity and specificity of these markers are summarized. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/mdj/2012-04-15-movdisord-2/ 17120 Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120415000000 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:08:09 GMT 20120429100809 Thu, 03 May 2012 08:52:13 GMT 201205030885213 This review summarizes the state of the art knowledge concerning structural neuroimaging techniques including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and transcranial B-mode-Doppler-sonography (TCS) as well as functional neuroimaging techniques using radiotracer imaging (RTI) with different radioligands in detecting pre-motor PD. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/mdj/2012-04-15-movdisord-3/ 17121 Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120415000000 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:15:37 GMT 20120429101537 Thu, 03 May 2012 08:50:23 GMT 201205030885023 A body of clinical and pathologic evidence supports the concept that there a pre-Parkinson state exists prior to the time when Parkinson's disease (PD) can be formally diagnosed. The ability to define a the preclinical or prodromal PD state has many important implications. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/mdj/2012-04-15-movdisord-4/ 17122 Sun, 15 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120415000000 Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:22:33 GMT 20120429102233 Thu, 03 May 2012 08:48:14 GMT 201205030884814 Vu et al. have undertaken a complex modeling analysis of a clinical trial dataset to investigate predictors and associations of progression of multiple features Parkinson's disease. Their multifaceted approach is a valuable addition to the literature. In agreement with prior studies, they find that age and UPDRS scores are predictive of future progression. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-04-12-britjclinpharmacol/ 17210 Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120412000000 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:40:37 GMT 20120509154037 Wed, 09 May 2012 15:46:23 GMT 201205091534623 Early treatments of Parkinson's disease were based on empirical observation, and anticholinergic drugs were used as early as the nineteenth century. The discovery of dopaminergic deficits in Parkinson's disease and the synthetic pathway of dopamine led to the first human trials of levodopa. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-03-18-cshperspect/ 16919 Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120318000000 Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:17:36 GMT 20120318211736 Tue, 08 May 2012 19:13:39 GMT 201205081971339 The study concludes that α-synuclein is prone to aggregation because its reconfiguration rate is slow enough to expose hydrophobic residues on the same time scale that bimolecular association occurs. Curcumin rescues the protein from aggregation by increasing the reconfiguration rate into a faster regime. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-03-16-jbiolchem/ 16939 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120316000000 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 08:51:12 GMT 20120321085112 Tue, 08 May 2012 19:20:56 GMT 201205081972056 This study suggests that newly acquired artistic-like production in patients with PD is not associated with impulsivity or ICDs. Artistic-like production might represent the emerging of innate skills in a subset of predisposed patients with PD on dopaminergic therapy. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/eur-j-neurol/2012-03-01-eurjneurol/ 16729 Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120301000000 Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:04:11 GMT 20120224120411 Tue, 08 May 2012 19:05:08 GMT 201205081970508 A highly sensitive and specific assay was established and used to measure PS-129 together with total α-synuclein in the CSF of patients with PD, other parkinsonian disorders such as multiple system atrophy (MSA) and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and healthy individuals (a total of ~600 samples). http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-02-15-scitranslmed-1/ 16660 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120215000000 Sat, 18 Feb 2012 20:16:18 GMT 20120218201618 Tue, 08 May 2012 18:08:57 GMT 201205081860857 Here, authors synthesize research behind the emerging hypothesis that inflammationwhich can result, for example, from viral infectionscan initiate and propagate chronic neuronal dysfunction, an event that precedes the clinical onset of many neurodegenerative diseases. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-02-15-scitranslmed/ 16659 Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120215000000 Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:55:49 GMT 20120218195549 Tue, 08 May 2012 18:10:33 GMT 201205081861033 While there are many "nondopaminergic" features of PD that do not improve with levodopa, PD motor symptoms generally improve with dopaminergic medications. However, not all the motor manifestations of PD are improved to the same extent and some may not respond at all to levodopa. Tremor is often less responsive to levodopa than bradykinesia. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/neurol/2012-02-14-neurology/ 16500 Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120214000000 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:44:17 GMT 20120204174417 Tue, 08 May 2012 08:22:02 GMT 201205080882202 These results support the idea that human ESCs, if appropriately matured, can serve as a source for dopaminergic neurons without forming any tumors in a primate brain. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-02-10-stemcells/ 16921 Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120210000000 Tue, 20 Mar 2012 08:47:22 GMT 20120320084722 Tue, 08 May 2012 19:17:08 GMT 201205081971708 The results suggest that parkin controls dopamine utilization in human midbrain DA neurons by enhancing the precision of DA neurotransmission and suppressing dopamine oxidation. Thus, the study provides novel targets and a physiologically relevant screening platform for disease-modifying therapies of PD. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-02-07-natcomm/ 16557 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120207000000 Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:33:19 GMT 20120208083319 Tue, 08 May 2012 08:28:23 GMT 201205080882823 The relatively high penetrance estimate in GBA carriers obtained in this study should lead to consideration of GBA as a dominant causal gene with reduced penetrance and should be taken into account for genetic counseling in relatives of patients with GD and patients with GBA-associated PD. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/neurol/2012-02-07-neurology/ 16501 Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120207000000 Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:51:46 GMT 20120204175146 Tue, 08 May 2012 07:43:56 GMT 201205080774356 Study data demonstrated that Parkinson's disease patients with subjective memory complaints showed a poorer performance on tasks related to verbal fluency and attention with more severe cortical atrophy compared to those without subjective memory complaints, suggesting that subjective memory complaints in patients with Parkinson's disease may represent an early manifestation of underlying Parkinson's disease-related pathological changes. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/j-neurol/2012-01-31-jneurol/ 16504 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120131000000 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:03:09 GMT 20120205120309 Tue, 08 May 2012 08:24:45 GMT 201205080882445 This work provides unique insights into the earliest steps of α-synuclein aggregation pathway and should provide the basis for the development of drugs that can prevent aggregation at the initial stage. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-01-27-pnas/ 16621 Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120127000000 Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:21:37 GMT 20120213212137 Tue, 08 May 2012 18:15:35 GMT 201205081861535 Interpretation: In this population-based cohort study, authors observed that pRBD confers a 2.2-fold increased risk of developing MCI/PD over 4 years. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/2012-01-01-annalsneur/ 16898 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120101000000 Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:50:47 GMT 20120315165047 Tue, 08 May 2012 19:10:53 GMT 201205081971053 http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2012/prd/2012-01-01-prelatdisord-18/ 17181 Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT 20120101000000 Sat, 05 May 2012 17:15:39 GMT 20120505171539 Sat, 05 May 2012 17:21:13 GMT 201205051752113 The results of this study are despite significant improvements in motor symptoms after surgery, the volume of ambulatory activity (total number of steps per day) did not change (P = 0.468). However, significant increases in length and variability of walking bouts emerged, suggesting improvements in diversity and flexibility of walking patterns. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2011/journal-of-neurology/2011-11-16-jneurol/ 15514 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT 20111116000000 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:14:49 GMT 20111128141449 Tue, 08 May 2012 08:31:47 GMT 201205080883147 The study concluded that the definition of a pre-motor phase of PD, based on non-motor symptoms, should search for the presence of concomitant affective disorders and for a positive psychiatric history for affective disorders rather than for a typical personality profile or personality changes. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2011/journal-of-neurology/2011-11-15-jneurol/ 15505 Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT 20111115000000 Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:38:16 GMT 20111128133816 Tue, 08 May 2012 08:30:09 GMT 201205080883009 LRRK2 S1647T increases the risk of Parkinson's disease in southern China. http://www.epda.eu.com/research-papers/2011/eur-j-neurol/2011-03-02-eurjneurol/ 10570 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:00:00 GMT 20110302000000 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:30:13 GMT 20100729193013 Tue, 08 May 2012 19:08:03 GMT 201205081970803