Search results for "Neurologi"

Stance control is not affected by paresis and reflex hyperexcitability: the case of spastic patients.

2001

OBJECTIVES Spastic patients were studied to understand whether stance unsteadiness is associated with changes in the control of voluntary force, muscle tone, or reflex excitability, rather than to abnormal posture connected to the motor deficit itself. METHODS Twenty four normal subjects, 12 patients affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), seven by spastic paraparesis, and 14 by hemiparesis were studied. All patients featured various degrees of spasticity and paresis but were free from clinically evident sensory deficits. Body sway during quiet upright stance was assessed through a stabilometric platform under both eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) conditions. The sudden rotation…

THE OPTIMIZATION OF INTERFERON FOR MS STUDY: 375 MICROG INTERFERON BETA-1B IN SUBOPTIMAL RESPONDERS.

2008

We aimed to evaluate the safety and MRI efficacy of interferon beta-1b (IFNbeta-1b) 375 microg (subcutaneously [sc] every other day [eod]) in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients with a suboptimal response to IFNbeta-1b 250 microg, i.e., with MRI activity or relapses. The OPTimization of Interferon for MS (OPTIMS) study was a prospective multicenter randomized phase 2 trial comprising a 6-month run-in phase (to identify suboptimal responders) and a 6-month randomized phase of open-label clinical and blinded MRI follow-up. During run-in all patients were treated with IFNbeta-1b 250 microg sc eod; during the study phase suboptimal treatment responders were randomized either …

Improvement of phonemic fluency following leftward prism adaptation.

2021

AbstractAnatomo functional studies of prism adaptation (PA) have been shown to modulate a brain frontal-parieto-temporal network, increasing activation of this network in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the side of prism deviation. This effect raises the hypothesis that left prism adaptation, modulating frontal areas of the left hemisphere, could modify subjects’ performance on linguistic tasks that map on those areas. To test this hypothesis, 51 healthy subjects participated in experiments in which leftward or rightward prism adaptation were applied before the execution of a phonemic fluency task, i.e., a task with strict left hemispheric lateralization onto frontal areas. Results showed tha…

Evidence-Based Practice Needs Stronger Prognostic Scores for the Prediction of Recurrent Stroke

2010

To the Editor: The article by Weimer et al1 is of great interest for internists and neurologists that have to prognostically stratify patients with acute or subacute cerebrovascular disease based on risk scores. However, we have to comprehend the actual and pragmatic value of the study findings for clinical practice. We previously underscored the …

Performance cognitive in pazienti anziani sottoposti a endoarterectomia o a stenting carotideo: Studio di follow up a 12 mesi

2010

Introduction. In this study we investigated short and long-term impact of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and carotid artery stenting (CAS) in cognitively healthy elderly subjects with severe carotid stenosis on several cognitive functions by neuropsychological evaluation before surgery and after three and twelve months. Methods. Cognition, mood and functional status were evaluated in 28 patients undergoing CEA (24 M, 4 F, 72.6 ± 5.8 years old) and in 29 patients undergoing CAS (17 M, 12 F, 75.1 ± 5.7 years old) by a broad spectrum of tests assessing mood, functional status, memory, attention, verbal fluency, visuospatial and constructional abilities. Results. No significant differences in s…

A53T-Alpha-Synuclein Overexpression Impairs Dopamine Signaling and Striatal Synaptic Plasticity in Old Mice

2010

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder at old age, can be caused by elevated expression or the A53T missense mutation of the presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein (SNCA). PD is characterized pathologically by the preferential vulnerability of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal projection neurons. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we used two mouse lines overexpressing human A53T-SNCA and studied striatal dysfunction in the absence of neurodegeneration to understand early disease mechanisms. To characterize the progression, we employed young adult as well as old mice. Analysis of striatal neurotransmitter content demonstrated that dopamine (DA…

Hedgehog signaling and primary cilia are required for the formation of adult neural stem cells.

2008

Neural stem cells that continue to produce neurons are retained in the adult hippocampal dentate gyrus. The mechanisms by which embryonic neural progenitors expand and transform into postnatal neural stem cells, an essential process for the continual production of neurons throughout life, remain unknown. We found that radial astrocytes, the postnatal progenitors in the dentate gyrus, failed to develop after embryonic ablation of ciliary genes or Smoothened (Smo), an essential component for Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling. Postnatal dentate neurogenesis failed in these mutant mice, and the dentate gyrus became severely hypotrophic. In contrast, expression of a constitutively active Smo (SmoM2…

The mysterious connection between migraine and dementia: epiphenomenon or causation? Special considerations

2022

Biomarkers of oxidative and nitrosative damage in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment

2009

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in the elderly. Products of oxidative and nitrosative stress (OS and NS, respectively) accumulate with aging, which is the main risk factor for AD. This provides the basis for the involvement of OS and NS in AD pathogenesis. OS and NS occur in biological systems due to the dysregulation of the redox balance, caused by a deficiency of antioxidants and/or the overproduction of free radicals. Free radical attack against lipids, proteins, sugars and nucleic acids leads to the formation of bioproducts whose detection in fluids and tissues represents the currently available method for assessing oxidative/nitrosative damage. Post-mortem …

Pattern of brain destruction in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases

1996

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common age-related degenerative disorders of the human brain. Both diseases involve multiple neuronal systems and are the consequences of cytoskeletal abnormalities which gradually develop in only a small number of neuronal types. In AD, susceptible neurons produce neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and neuropil threads (NTs), while in PD, they develop Lewy bodies (LBs) and Lewy neurites (LNs). The specific lesional pattern of both illnesses accrues slowly over time and remains remarkably consistent across cases. In AD, six developmental stages can be distinguished on account of the predictable manner in which the neurofibrillar…