Objective Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is one of the most common autonomic dysfunctions in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. However, many patients with OH are asymptomatic. Conversely, orthostatic dizziness (OD) is not always associated with OH. We investigated the effect of positional changes on cerebral perfusion in patients with PD and OH.
Methods We enrolled 43 patients, of whom 31 were PD patients and 11 were healthy controls (HC). All subjects underwent the following clinical assessments: OH Questionnaire, head-up tilt test (HUTT) with transcranial Doppler (TCD), near-infrared spectroscopy, measurement of the change in oxygenated hemoglobin (Δ Hboxy) during the squat-to-stand test (SST), measurement of the time derivative of total hemoglobin (DHbtot), and time taken to reach the peak (peak time, PT) of DHbtot after re-standing.
Results The mean flow velocity change (ΔMFV) in the TCD during the HUTT failed to differentiate between the PD-OH(+) and PD-OH(-) groups. The change in oxygenated hemoglobin Δ Hboxy was greater in the PD-OH(+) group, which persisted for 9 min until the end of the HUTT only in the left hemisphere. During SST, PT was significantly delayed in PD-OH (+) in the left hemisphere.
Conclusion Although TCD demonstrated no significant difference in ΔMFV, the parameters measured by NIRS, such as Δ Hboxy during HUTT and PT during SST, showed significantly increased Δ Hboxy or delayed PT in the left hemisphere of PD-OH(+). Positional changes have a detrimental effect on cerebral hemodynamics in patients with PD and OH, especially in the left hemisphere.
Chan Young Lee, Chaewon Shin, Yun Su Hwang, Eungseok Oh, Manho Kim, Hyun Sook Kim, Sun Ju Chung, Young Hee Sung, Won Tae Yoon, Jin Whan Cho, Jae-Hyeok Lee, Han-Joon Kim, Hee Jin Chang, Beomseok Jeon, Kyung Ah Woo, Seong-Beom Koh, Kyum-Yil Kwon, Jangsup Moon, Young Eun Kim, Jee-Young Lee
J Mov Disord. 2024;17(1):30-37. Published online September 11, 2023
Objective This is the first prospective cohort study of Huntington’s disease (HD) in Korea. This study aimed to investigate the caregiver burden in relation to the characteristics of patients and caregivers.
Methods From August 2020 to February 2022, we enrolled patients with HD from 13 university hospitals in Korea. We used the 12-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-12) to evaluate the caregiver burden. We evaluated the clinical associations of the ZBI-12 scores by linear regression analysis and investigated the differences between the low- and high-burden groups.
Results Sixty-five patients with HD and 45 caregivers were enrolled in this cohort study. The average age at onset of motor symptoms was 49.3 ± 12.3 years, with an average cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG)n of 42.9 ± 4.0 (38–65). The median ZBI-12 score among our caregivers was 17.6 ± 14.2. A higher caregiver burden was associated with a more severe Shoulson–Fahn stage (p = 0.038) of the patients. A higher ZBI-12 score was also associated with lower independence scale (B = -0.154, p = 0.006) and functional capacity (B = -1.082, p = 0.002) scores of patients. The caregiving duration was longer in the high- than in the low-burden group. Caregivers’ demographics, blood relation, and marital and social status did not affect the burden significantly.
Conclusion HD patients’ neurological status exerts an enormous impact on the caregiver burden regardless of the demographic or social status of the caregiver. This study emphasizes the need to establish an optimal support system for families dealing with HD in Korea. A future longitudinal analysis could help us understand how disease progression aggravates the caregiver burden throughout the entire disease course.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
A Practical Guide for Clinical Approach to Patients With Huntington’s Disease in Korea Chaewon Shin, Ryul Kim, Dallah Yoo, Eungseok Oh, Jangsup Moon, Minkyeong Kim, Jee-Young Lee, Jong-Min Kim, Seong-Beom Koh, Manho Kim, Beomseok Jeon Journal of Movement Disorders.2024; 17(2): 138. CrossRef
Objective This study aimed to evaluate whether a larger tissue volume increases the sensitivity of detecting alpha-synuclein (AS) pathology in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Methods Nine patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) or idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep disorder (iRBD) who underwent GI operation and had full-depth intestinal blocks were included. All patients were selected from our previous study population. A total of 10 slides (5 serial sections from the proximal and distal blocks) per patient were analyzed.
Results In previous studies, pathologic evaluation revealed phosphorylated AS (+) in 5/9 patients (55.6%) and in 1/5 controls (20.0%); in this extensive examination, this increased to 8/9 patients (88.9%) but remained the same in controls (20.0%). The severity and distribution of positive findings were similar between patients with iRBD and PD.
Conclusion Examining a large tissue volume increased the sensitivity of detecting AS accumulation in the GI tract.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Symmetric and Profound Monoaminergic Degeneration in Parkinson’s Disease with Premotor REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Kyung Ah Woo, Han-Joon Kim, Jung Hwan Shin, Kangyoung Cho, Hongyoon Choi, Beomseok Jeon Journal of Parkinson's Disease.2024; 14(4): 823. CrossRef
Mutations in the F-box only protein 7 (FBXO7) gene are the cause of autosomal recessive parkinsonian-pyramidal syndrome. Herein, we report a patient with a novel FBXO7 mutation with a unique clinical presentation. A 43-year-old male visited our hospital with complaints of progressing gait disturbance since a generalized tonic clonic seizure. There were no past neurological symptoms or familial disorders. Neurological examination revealed bradykinesia, masked face, stooped posture, parkinsonian gait, and postural instability. The bilateral uptake by dopamine transporters was nearly abolished, as determined by N-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)- 2β-carbon ethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane positron emission tomography (18F-FP-CIT PET). Next-generation sequencing revealed a heterozygous c.1066_1069delTCTG (p.Ser356ArgfsTer56) frameshift variant and a heterozygous c.80G>A (p.Arg27His) missense variant of the FBXO7 gene. The patient’s specific clinical features, medication-refractory parkinsonism and seizures further broaden the spectrum of FBXO7 mutations. The nearly abolished dopamine transporter uptake identified by 18F-FP-CIT PET is frequently found in patients with FBXO7 mutations, which is different from the usual rostrocaudal gradient that is observed in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Imaging Procedure and Clinical Studies of [18F]FP-CIT PET Changhwan Sung, Seung Jun Oh, Jae Seung Kim Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.2024; 58(4): 185. CrossRef
Study of an FBXO7 patient mutation reveals Fbxo7 and PI31 co‐regulate proteasomes and mitochondria Sara Al Rawi, Lorna Simpson, Guðrún Agnarsdóttir, Neil Q. McDonald, Veronika Chernuha, Orly Elpeleg, Massimo Zeviani, Roger A. Barker, Ronen Spiegel, Heike Laman The FEBS Journal.2024; 291(12): 2565. CrossRef
The characteristics of FBXO7 and its role in human diseases Yeling Zhong, Jinyun Li, Meng Ye, Xiaofeng Jin Gene.2023; 851: 146972. CrossRef
Objective To assess nocturnal hypokinesia using the Korean version of the Nocturnal Hypokinesia Questionnaire (NHQ-K) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients across disease stages.
Methods We developed the NHQ-K and performed questionnaire-based interviews with 108 PD patients from three referral hospitals. Clinical associations of nocturnal hypokinesia and its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) were also analyzed.
Results The NHQ-K showed acceptable internal consistency (0.83) and interrater reliability (0.95). Nocturnal hypokinesia significantly affected HRQoL in PD patients at both the early and advanced stages (adjusted p < 0.001). Increased severity of nocturnal hypokinesia was associated with dyskinesias, off-period disability, apathy, and anxious mood in PD patients (adjusted p < 0.01) after controlling for disease severity and medication dose.
Conclusion The NHQ-K is useful for screening nocturnal hypokinesia in PD patients. Given the high impact of nocturnal hypokinesia on HRQoL, comprehensive management of nocturnal disability is needed for PD patients.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Technological evaluation of strategies to get out of bed by people with Parkinson's disease: Insights from multisite wearable sensors Jirada Sringean, Chusak Thanawattano, Roongroj Bhidayasiri Frontiers in Medical Technology.2022;[Epub] CrossRef