Journal of Movement Disorders最新文献

Objective: This study investigated the impact of extrainstrumental workload on musician's dystonia (MD) and its relationship with playing ability by testing whether dystonia onset is more severe in the dominant hand and whether improvement during treatment depends on which hand is affected, the dominant or nondominant.

Methods: A total of 151 patients with dominant-hand MD and 92 with nondominant hand MD were assessed for their ability to play at dystonia onset (T0) and after treatment (T1).

Results: There was no significant difference in playing ability at onset between the groups. Significant improvement and a greater change in playing ability were observed in the dominant-hand group. We found no difference in the proportional frequency of right-handed and left-handed individuals in the group of patients affected on the right or left side, respectively.

Conclusion: These findings suggest that handedness does not influence MD localization, but the prognosis is more favorable for those with dominant hand dystonia, potentially due to metaplasticity effects.

Parkinson's disease (PD) affects approximately 2% of individuals over the age of 60. With over two billion Muslims observing Ramadan, individuals with PD encounter specific challenges, such as deteriorating motor skills, sleep disturbances, and an increased risk of falls during fasting. Our study focused on 75 patients with idiopathic PD divided into two groups: the Ramadan Regimen group, consisting of 50 patients who adjusted their medication to twice daily at Suhoor and Iftar, and the Non-Treatment group, which included 25 patients who abstained from medication for religious reasons. Both groups were instructed to wear a Parkinson's Kinetigraph (PKG) wrist device. Study findings showed that motor function worsened in the non-treatment group (p < .001), while it improved in the Ramadan Regimen group (p = .007). Daytime sleepiness also significantly increased in the non-treatment group (p < .001). Overall, findings suggest that Ramadan regime significantly enhance patient health and quality of life.

Objective: The NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome has been proposed as a downstream mediator of neuroinflammation in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, its involvement across disease stages and related synucleinopathies such as multiple system atrophy (MSA) remains unclear. We aimed to analyze peripheral mRNA expression of NLRP3-related genes and cytokines across isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD), early and late-stage PD, and MSA.

Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from 151 participants: 35 healthy controls (HCs), 31 iRBD, 41 early PD, 21 late PD, and 23 MSA. mRNA expression was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Statistical comparisons were performed using ANOVA or Welch's ANOVA, and associations with clinical variables were analyzed through stepwise multiple linear regression.

Results: NLRP3 expression was significantly reduced in iRBD (p = 0.0263) and early PD (p = 0.0101) compared to HCs. NIMA-related kinase 7 (NEK7) showed a progressive decrease (HCs vs. early PD, p = 0.0008; vs. late PD, p < 0.0001). In contrast, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) and caspase-1 were elevated in PD, especially in late stages. MSA resembled HCs but differed from PD. Interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 levels were not significantly different. In early PD, NLRP3 expression negatively correlated with disease duration, MDS-UPDRS Part II, and cognitive scores.

Conclusion: Our findings challenge the prevailing hypothesis that NLRP3 inflammasome activation directly contributes to PD pathogenesis. Instead, the observed increase in ASC and caspase-1 expression suggests the potential involvement of alternative inflammasome pathways during disease progression.