ABSTRACT The awareness that dementia occurs with high frequency during the course of Parkinson&am... more ABSTRACT The awareness that dementia occurs with high frequency during the course of Parkinson's disease, and the reported efficacy of cholinergic enhancers for this indication, have increased interest in Parkinson's disease dementia and its associated cognitive features. A precise diagnosis may be difficult to make; however, given (i) the cognitive slowing and executive dysfunction that are generally part of the clinical features of PD, (ii) the absence of clear cut separation between mild cognitive impairment and dementia in PD, and (iii) the presence of possible confounding factors that may interfere with the evaluation of cognitive functions (e.g., slurred speech, depressive mood, cognitive side effects of dopaminergic drugs or anticholinergic therapy), the recent proposal putting forth criteria for the diagnosis of PD dementia may be useful for making a more definitive diagnosis that is relevant for clinical research, clinical trials, and pharmacotherapy.
Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by ... more Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the loss of rapid eye movement sleep muscle atonia and the appearance of abnormal movements and vocalizations during rapid eye movement sleep. It is a strong marker of incipient synucleinopathy such as dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease. Patients with iRBD already show brain changes that are reminiscent of manifest synucleinopathies including brain atrophy. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of this atrophy remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed cutting-edge imaging transcriptomics and comprehensive spatial mapping analyses in a multicentric cohort of 171 polysomnography-confirmed iRBD patients [67.7 ± 6.6 (49–87) years; 83% men] and 238 healthy controls [66.6 ± 7.9 (41–88) years; 77% men] with T1-weighted MRI to investigate the gene expression and connectivity patterns associated with changes in cortical thickness and surface area in iRBD. P...
Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disease in which clinical manifestations are essentiall... more Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disease in which clinical manifestations are essentially present during childhood and adolescence, corresponding to one of the critical development phases. However, its consequences on the daily lives of young patients have been insufficiently investigated. Here, we aimed to investigate this using a statistical text mining approach, allowing for the analysis of a large volume of free textual data. Sixty-two adolescents with Tourette syndrome participated in an interview in which they discussed their daily life (i) in school, (ii) at home, and (iii) with strangers, (iv) the aspect of Tourette syndrome which caused the most difficulty, and (v) their thoughts regarding their future as adults. Following data pre-processing, these corpora were analyzed separately using the IRAMUTEQ software through factorial correspondence analysis to identify the most commonly recurring topics of each corpus, and their relations with clinical features. The main ...
Background: Dopa-resistant freezing of gait (FOG) and falls represent the dominant motor disabili... more Background: Dopa-resistant freezing of gait (FOG) and falls represent the dominant motor disabilities in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objective: We investigate the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), comprised of the pedunculopontine (PPN) and cuneiform (CuN) nuclei, for treating gait and balance disorders, in a randomized double-blind cross-over trial. Methods: Six PD patients with dopa-resistant FOG and/or falls were operated for MLR-DBS. Patients received three DBS conditions, PPN, CuN, or Sham, in a randomized order for 2-months each, followed by an open-label phase. The primary outcome was the change in anteroposterior anticipatory-postural-adjustments (APAs) during gait initiation on a force platform Results: The anteroposterior APAs were not significantly different between the DBS conditions (median displacement [1st–3rd quartile] of 3.07 [3.12–4.62] cm with sham-DBS, 1.95 [2.29–3.85] cm with PPN-DBS and 2.78 [1.66–4.04] ...
ObjectiveTo characterize how disease progression is associated with mortality in a large cohort o... more ObjectiveTo characterize how disease progression is associated with mortality in a large cohort of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with long-term follow-up after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS).MethodsMotor and cognitive disabilities were assessed before and 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after STN-DBS in 143 consecutive patients with PD. We measured motor symptoms “off” and “on” levodopa and STN-DBS and recorded causes of death. We used linear mixed models to characterize symptom progression, including interactions between treatment conditions and time to determine how treatments changed efficacy. We used joint models to link symptom progression to mortality.ResultsMedian observation time was 12 years after surgery, during which akinesia, rigidity, and axial symptoms worsened, with mean increases of 8.8 (SD 6.5), 1.8 (3.1), and 5.4 (4.1) points from year 1–10 after surgery (“on” dopamine/“on” STN-DBS), respectively. Responses to dopaminergic medication and STN-DBS ...
Developmental medicine and child neurology, Sep 10, 2018
To explore the heterogeneity of Tourette syndrome as part of a neurodevelopmental spectrum. Using... more To explore the heterogeneity of Tourette syndrome as part of a neurodevelopmental spectrum. Using hierarchical ascendant clustering based on tic symptoms, developmental milestones, and neurodevelopmental comorbidities, we analyzed the heterogeneity of Tourette syndrome phenotypes in a sample of 174 children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome referred to a tertiary university clinic. The model yielded three distinct clusters characterized as follows. In cluster 1, we found many neurodevelopmental comorbidities (including intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], and learning disabilities) and academic impairments. In cluster 2, patients had no other neurodevelopmental comorbidities. In cluster 3, patients had higher intelligence, a high frequency of attentional impairment, school problems related to both ADHD and unspecific attention difficulties, and handwriting problems related to the tics themselves. Interestingly, cl...
Friedreich ataxia, an autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease, is the most frequent inherited a... more Friedreich ataxia, an autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease, is the most frequent inherited ataxia. Many studies have attempted to identify cognitive and affective changes associated with the disease, but conflicting results have been obtained, depending on the tests used and because many of the samples studied were very small. We investigated personality and neuropsychological characteristics in a cohort of 47 patients with genetically confirmed disease. The neuropsychological battery assessed multiple cognition domains: processing speed, attention, working memory, executive functions, verbal memory, vocabulary, visual reasoning, emotional recognition, and social cognition. Personality was assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory, and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory. We found deficits of sustained attention, processing speed, semantic capacities, and verbal fluency only partly attributable to motor deficit or depressed mood. Vis...
Although subthalamic stimulation is a recognised treatment for motor complications in Parkinson&#... more Although subthalamic stimulation is a recognised treatment for motor complications in Parkinson's disease, reports on behavioural outcomes are controversial, which represents a major challenge when counselling candidates for subthalamic stimulation. We aimed to assess changes in behaviour in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving combined treatment with subthalamic stimulation and medical therapy over a 2-year follow-up period as compared with the behavioural evolution under medical therapy alone. We did a parallel, open-label study (EARLYSTIM) at 17 surgical centres in France (n=8) and Germany (n=9). We recruited patients with Parkinson's disease who were disabled by early motor complications. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to either medical therapy alone or bilateral subthalamic stimulation plus medical therapy. The primary outcome was mean change in quality of life from baseline to 2 years. A secondary analysis was also done to assess behavioural outc...
ABSTRACT The awareness that dementia occurs with high frequency during the course of Parkinson&am... more ABSTRACT The awareness that dementia occurs with high frequency during the course of Parkinson's disease, and the reported efficacy of cholinergic enhancers for this indication, have increased interest in Parkinson's disease dementia and its associated cognitive features. A precise diagnosis may be difficult to make; however, given (i) the cognitive slowing and executive dysfunction that are generally part of the clinical features of PD, (ii) the absence of clear cut separation between mild cognitive impairment and dementia in PD, and (iii) the presence of possible confounding factors that may interfere with the evaluation of cognitive functions (e.g., slurred speech, depressive mood, cognitive side effects of dopaminergic drugs or anticholinergic therapy), the recent proposal putting forth criteria for the diagnosis of PD dementia may be useful for making a more definitive diagnosis that is relevant for clinical research, clinical trials, and pharmacotherapy.
Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by ... more Isolated rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the loss of rapid eye movement sleep muscle atonia and the appearance of abnormal movements and vocalizations during rapid eye movement sleep. It is a strong marker of incipient synucleinopathy such as dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease. Patients with iRBD already show brain changes that are reminiscent of manifest synucleinopathies including brain atrophy. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of this atrophy remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed cutting-edge imaging transcriptomics and comprehensive spatial mapping analyses in a multicentric cohort of 171 polysomnography-confirmed iRBD patients [67.7 ± 6.6 (49–87) years; 83% men] and 238 healthy controls [66.6 ± 7.9 (41–88) years; 77% men] with T1-weighted MRI to investigate the gene expression and connectivity patterns associated with changes in cortical thickness and surface area in iRBD. P...
Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disease in which clinical manifestations are essentiall... more Tourette syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disease in which clinical manifestations are essentially present during childhood and adolescence, corresponding to one of the critical development phases. However, its consequences on the daily lives of young patients have been insufficiently investigated. Here, we aimed to investigate this using a statistical text mining approach, allowing for the analysis of a large volume of free textual data. Sixty-two adolescents with Tourette syndrome participated in an interview in which they discussed their daily life (i) in school, (ii) at home, and (iii) with strangers, (iv) the aspect of Tourette syndrome which caused the most difficulty, and (v) their thoughts regarding their future as adults. Following data pre-processing, these corpora were analyzed separately using the IRAMUTEQ software through factorial correspondence analysis to identify the most commonly recurring topics of each corpus, and their relations with clinical features. The main ...
Background: Dopa-resistant freezing of gait (FOG) and falls represent the dominant motor disabili... more Background: Dopa-resistant freezing of gait (FOG) and falls represent the dominant motor disabilities in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). Objective: We investigate the effects of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the mesencephalic locomotor region (MLR), comprised of the pedunculopontine (PPN) and cuneiform (CuN) nuclei, for treating gait and balance disorders, in a randomized double-blind cross-over trial. Methods: Six PD patients with dopa-resistant FOG and/or falls were operated for MLR-DBS. Patients received three DBS conditions, PPN, CuN, or Sham, in a randomized order for 2-months each, followed by an open-label phase. The primary outcome was the change in anteroposterior anticipatory-postural-adjustments (APAs) during gait initiation on a force platform Results: The anteroposterior APAs were not significantly different between the DBS conditions (median displacement [1st–3rd quartile] of 3.07 [3.12–4.62] cm with sham-DBS, 1.95 [2.29–3.85] cm with PPN-DBS and 2.78 [1.66–4.04] ...
ObjectiveTo characterize how disease progression is associated with mortality in a large cohort o... more ObjectiveTo characterize how disease progression is associated with mortality in a large cohort of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with long-term follow-up after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS).MethodsMotor and cognitive disabilities were assessed before and 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after STN-DBS in 143 consecutive patients with PD. We measured motor symptoms “off” and “on” levodopa and STN-DBS and recorded causes of death. We used linear mixed models to characterize symptom progression, including interactions between treatment conditions and time to determine how treatments changed efficacy. We used joint models to link symptom progression to mortality.ResultsMedian observation time was 12 years after surgery, during which akinesia, rigidity, and axial symptoms worsened, with mean increases of 8.8 (SD 6.5), 1.8 (3.1), and 5.4 (4.1) points from year 1–10 after surgery (“on” dopamine/“on” STN-DBS), respectively. Responses to dopaminergic medication and STN-DBS ...
Developmental medicine and child neurology, Sep 10, 2018
To explore the heterogeneity of Tourette syndrome as part of a neurodevelopmental spectrum. Using... more To explore the heterogeneity of Tourette syndrome as part of a neurodevelopmental spectrum. Using hierarchical ascendant clustering based on tic symptoms, developmental milestones, and neurodevelopmental comorbidities, we analyzed the heterogeneity of Tourette syndrome phenotypes in a sample of 174 children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome referred to a tertiary university clinic. The model yielded three distinct clusters characterized as follows. In cluster 1, we found many neurodevelopmental comorbidities (including intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder [ADHD], and learning disabilities) and academic impairments. In cluster 2, patients had no other neurodevelopmental comorbidities. In cluster 3, patients had higher intelligence, a high frequency of attentional impairment, school problems related to both ADHD and unspecific attention difficulties, and handwriting problems related to the tics themselves. Interestingly, cl...
Friedreich ataxia, an autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease, is the most frequent inherited a... more Friedreich ataxia, an autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease, is the most frequent inherited ataxia. Many studies have attempted to identify cognitive and affective changes associated with the disease, but conflicting results have been obtained, depending on the tests used and because many of the samples studied were very small. We investigated personality and neuropsychological characteristics in a cohort of 47 patients with genetically confirmed disease. The neuropsychological battery assessed multiple cognition domains: processing speed, attention, working memory, executive functions, verbal memory, vocabulary, visual reasoning, emotional recognition, and social cognition. Personality was assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory, and depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory. We found deficits of sustained attention, processing speed, semantic capacities, and verbal fluency only partly attributable to motor deficit or depressed mood. Vis...
Although subthalamic stimulation is a recognised treatment for motor complications in Parkinson&#... more Although subthalamic stimulation is a recognised treatment for motor complications in Parkinson's disease, reports on behavioural outcomes are controversial, which represents a major challenge when counselling candidates for subthalamic stimulation. We aimed to assess changes in behaviour in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving combined treatment with subthalamic stimulation and medical therapy over a 2-year follow-up period as compared with the behavioural evolution under medical therapy alone. We did a parallel, open-label study (EARLYSTIM) at 17 surgical centres in France (n=8) and Germany (n=9). We recruited patients with Parkinson's disease who were disabled by early motor complications. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to either medical therapy alone or bilateral subthalamic stimulation plus medical therapy. The primary outcome was mean change in quality of life from baseline to 2 years. A secondary analysis was also done to assess behavioural outc...
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