1/66. From off-period dystonia to peak-dose chorea. The clinical spectrum of varying subthalamic nucleus activity.The effect of chronic bilateral high-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) on levodopa-induced dyskinaesias was investigated in eight patients with fluctuating Parkinson's disease complicated by functionally disabling off-period dystonia. All of the patients also had severe diphasic and peak-dose chorea, so that it was possible to study the effect of high-frequency stimulation on the different types of levodopa-induced dyskinaesias. Off-period fixed dystonia was reduced by 90% and off-period pain by 66%. After acute levodopa challenge, high-frequency stimulation of the STN reduced diphasic mobile dystonia by 50% and peak-dose choreic dyskinaesias by 30%. The effect of bilateral high-frequency stimulation of the STN on the Unified Parkinson's disease Rating Scale motor score had the same magnitude as the preoperative effect of levodopa. This allowed the levodopa dose to be reduced by 47%. The combination of reduced medication and continuous high-frequency stimulation of the STN reduced the duration of on-period diphasic and peak-dose dyskinaesias by 52% and the intensity by 68%. Acute high-frequency stimulation of the STN mimics an acute levodopa challenge, concerning both parkinsonism and dyskinaesias, and suppresses off-period dystonia. Increasing the voltage can induce repetitive dystonic dyskinaesias, mimicking diphasic levodopa-induced dyskinaesias. A further increase in voltage leads to a shift from a diphasic-pattern dystonia to a peak-dose pattern choreodystonia. Chronic high-frequency stimulation of the STN also mimics the benefit of levodopa on parkinsonism and improves all kinds of levodopa-induced dyskinaesias to varying degrees. Off-period dystonia, associated with neuronal hyperactivity in the STN is directly affected by stimulation and disappears immediately. The effect of chronic high-frequency stimulation of the STN on diphasic and peak-dose dyskinaesias is more complex and is related directly to the functional inhibition of the STN and indirectly to the replacement of the pulsatile dopaminergic stimulation by continuous functional inhibition of the STN. Chronic high-frequency stimulation of the STN allows a very gradual increase in stimulation parameters with increasing beneficial effect on parkinsonism while reducing the threshold for the elicitation of stimulation-induced dyskinaesias. In parallel with improvement of parkinsonism, the levodopa dose can be gradually decreased. As diphasic dystonic dyskinaesias are improved to a greater degree than peak-dose dyskinaesias, both direct and indirect mechanisms may be involved. Peak-dose choreatic dyskinaesias, associated with little evidence of parkinsonism and thus with low neuronal activity in the STN, are improved, mostly indirectly. Fixed off-period dystonia, mobile diphasic dystonia and peak-dose choreodystonia seem to represent a continuous clinical spectrum reflecting a continuous spectrum of underlying activity patterns of STN neurons.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = parkinsonism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/66. Clinical genetics of familial progressive supranuclear palsy.Recent studies have shown that progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) could be inherited, but the pattern of inheritance and the spectrum of the clinical findings in relatives are unknown. We here report 12 pedigrees, confirmed by pathology in four probands, with familial PSP. Pathological diagnosis was confirmed according to recently reported internationally agreed criteria. The spectrum of the clinical phenotypes in these families was variable including 34 typical cases of PSP (12 probands plus 22 secondary cases), three patients with postural tremor, three with dementia, one with parkinsonism, two with tremor, dystonia, gaze palsy and tics, and one with gait disturbance. The presence of affected members in at least two generations in eight of the families and the absence of consanguinity suggests autosomal dominant transmission with incomplete penetrance. We conclude that hereditary PSP is more frequent than previously thought and that the scarcity of familial cases may be related to a lack of recognition of the variable phenotypic expression of the disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = parkinsonism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/66. Rapid onset dystonia-parkinsonism in a 14-year-old girl.A painful dystonia of rapid onset and associated parkinsonian features is described in a girl aged 14 years. The condition is refractory to treatment and has led to severe neurological disability. Her father had presented with a similar picture.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.85387088554735keywords = parkinsonism, parkinsonian (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/66. levodopa-responsive dystonia. gtp cyclohydrolase I or parkin mutations?Autosomal dominant DOPA-responsive dystonia (DRD) is usually caused by mutation in the gene encoding guanosine triphosphate-cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH I). We studied 22 families with a phenotype of levodopa-responsive dystonia by sequencing the six coding exons, the 5'-untranslated region and the exon-intron boundaries of the GTPCH I gene. Eleven heterozygous mutations were identified, including five missense mutations, one splice site mutation, two small deletions and two nonsense mutations, in 12 families that included 27 patients and 13 asymptomatic carriers. Six mutations were new and five had already been reported. Four of the mutations caused truncation of the GTPCH I protein. One family carried a base-pair change in the 5'-untranslated region, not detected in controls, that could be responsible for the phenotype. Three of the remaining 10 families had deletions in the parkin gene on chromosome 6, underlining how difficult it is to distinguish, in some cases, between DRD and parkin mutations. No mutations were identified in seven families. The clinical spectrum extended from the classical DRD phenotype to parkinsonism with levodopa-induced dyskinesias, and included spastic paraplegia as well as the absence of dystonia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = parkinsonism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/66. Parkinsonism, dystonia, and hemiatrophy.Hemiatrophy has been reported in association with a variety of neurologic conditions, including parkinsonism. patients with the hemiparkinson-hemiatrophy syndrome (HP-HA) have asymmetric parkinsonism with limb atrophy on the more affected side. Several authors have suggested that asymmetric brain damage early in life results in both atrophy and parkinsonism. Dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD) is a disease in which a deficiency of tetrahydrobiopterin, or, less commonly, of tyrosine hydroxylase, results in levodopa-responsive dystonia with parkinson features in children. We have recently identified four patients with DRD who had asymmetric dystonia and limb atrophy on the more affected side. Based on these patients, we suggest that a deficiency of the nigrostriatal dopamine system may, by itself, be sufficient to cause body atrophy and may underlie the limb atrophy in both DRD and HP-HA.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.6keywords = parkinsonism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/66. Adult Chediak-Higashi parkinsonian syndrome with dystonia.chediak-higashi syndrome (CHS) is a rare autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by immune deficiency, partial oculocutaneous albinism, and large eosinophilic, peroxidase-positive inclusion bodies in granule-containing cells. The adult form of CHS manifests during late childhood to early adulthood and is marked by various neurologic sequelae, including parkinsonism, dementia, spinocerebellar degeneration, and peripheral neuropathy. We report the case of a 29-year-old man with adult CHS who exhibited a progressive asymmetric parkinsonism, including rest tremor, and axial, cervical, and appendicular dystonia. The diagnosis was confirmed by the presence of characteristic large peroxidase-positive granules within leukocytes and markedly decreased natural killer cell function. levodopa/carbidopa and amantadine provided benefit for tremor. CHS, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young adult parkinsonism.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.81548354218942keywords = parkinsonism, parkinsonian (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/66. Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism: a clinical and genetic analysis of a new kindred.BACKGROUND: Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (RDP) is an autosomal dominant disorder linked to chromosome 19q13 that is characterized by sudden onset of primarily bulbar and upper limb dystonia with parkinsonism. methods: The authors evaluated 12 individuals from three generations of an Irish family and obtained detailed medical records on a deceased member. The authors describe the clinical, psychiatric, and genetic features of the affected individuals. RESULTS: Five of eight affected members developed sudden-onset (several hours to days) dystonia with postural instability. Four of the five also had bulbar symptoms. Two have stable focal or segmental limb dystonia. One has intermittent hemidystonia with dysarthria that comes on abruptly in times of stress or anxiety. Three had a history of profound difficulty socializing, and at presentation two developed depression. Three patients had a trial of dopamine agonists without benefit. Genetic analysis suggests linkage to chromosome 19 with lod score of 2.1 at zero recombination. CONCLUSION: This is the third reported family with chromosome 19q13 rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism. Psychiatric morbidity appeared common in affected members of this family and may be part of the RDP phenotype.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.4keywords = parkinsonism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/66. Internal globus pallidotomy in dystonia secondary to Huntington's disease.INTRODUCTION AND METHOD: The prototypic motor feature of Huntington's disease (HD) is chorea, but parkinsonism and involuntary movements such as dystonia and myoclonus can also be present. pallidotomy has been shown to be an effective treatment for medically refractory Parkinson's disease (PD). We performed bilateral microelectrode guided-stereotactic pallidotomies targeted at globus pallidum internus (GPi) to treat a 13-year-old patient diagnosed with Westphal variant of HD with intractable generalized dystonia and parkinsonism. RESULTS: Intraoperative microelectrode recordings of GPi cells showed a relatively low firing rate, 29 /- 14 Hz, with most neurons showing pauses. Acutely, after surgery, limb dystonia mildly improved but trunk dystonia persisted. Postoperative follow up 3 months later showed minimal clinical improvement in dystonic features with marked worsening of spasticity. CONCLUSION: In our case, bilateral pallidotomy produced modest palliative functional improvement in dystonic features. Cellular firing patterns were markedly different than in PD and were similar to those found in dystonia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.4keywords = parkinsonism (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/66. Abnormal activity in the globus pallidus in off-period dystonia.pallidotomy was performed in a parkinsonian patient with off-period foot dystonia. dystonia appeared at the beginning of surgery and disappeared after the first microelectrode penetration of the globus pallidus, perhaps a micropallidotomy effect. Neuronal recording during dystonia revealed that the mean firing rates were low in both the internal and external segments of the globus pallidus, and that firing was irregular in the internal segment of the globus pallidus, compared with firing patterns in offstate parkinsonian patients without dystonia. These firing patterns immediately changed into those of nondystonic, off-state parkinsonism after relief of dystonia These results suggest that off-period dystonia results from the same physiological change in the basal ganglia as that in primary dystonia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.30774177109471keywords = parkinsonism, parkinsonian (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/66. Botulinum toxin treatment in atypical parkinsonian disorders associated with disabling focal dystonia.We investigated the efficacy of botulinum toxin A (BtxA) therapy in patients with atypical parkinsonian disorders (APD) exhibiting different types of disabling focal dystonia unresponsive to oral drug therapy. Eight patients with functionally disabling focal dystonia out of a series of 60 consecutive patients with APDs regularly treated at our outpatient movement disorders clinic were included. patients were diagnosed according to established criteria and had disabling limb dystonia (n=4) or craniocervical dystonia (n=4) unresponsive to oral pharmacological treatment. Localization and dose of BtxA injections was determined individually based on clinical examination as well as EMG in patients with limb dystonia. BtxA reduced dystonic symptoms in all patients; only one developed a transient local side-effect. BtxA was particularly effective in the long-term treatment (up to 50 months) of blepharospasm associated with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). BtxA also alleviated PSP-associated retrocollis and orofacial dystonia with lower lip retraction associated with PSP and multiple system atrophy. BtxA treatment of limb dystonia in corticobasal degeneration (CBD) temporarily improved hand and arm function in early-disease stages while treatment in advanced stages reduced pain, facilitated hygiene and prevented secondary contractures. Limb dystonia was also alleviated by BtxA therapy in one patient with neuronal multisystem degeneration of undetermined cause. The results suggest that BtxA therapy may represent an effective means of alleviating disabling focal dystonia in different APDs. Particularly in early stage APD with disabling limb dystonia local BtxA injections may result in functional improvement.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.26935442773677keywords = parkinsonian (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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