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Tapping Test (tapping + test)

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Medical Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Homocysteine, white matter hyperintensities, and cognition in healthy elderly people

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 2 2003
Carole Dufouil PhD
Hyperhomocysteinemia is associated with an increased risk of vascular disease, and recent results suggest that it also could increase the risk of dementia. We examined the relationship between homocysteine and cognitive decline in 1,241 subjects aged 61 to 73 years, followed up over 4 years. Plasma homocysteine levels were determined in all participants as well as cardiovascular risk factors, apolipoprotein E genotype, plasma levels of folate, and vitamin B12. Cognitive performances were assessed repeatedly by using Mini-Mental State Examination, Trail Making Test, Digit Symbol Substitution Test, and Finger Tapping Test. At 2-year follow-up, 841 subjects underwent cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, and white matter hyperintensities were rated visually. Analyses were adjusted for all cardiovascular risk factors. Cross-sectional analyses showed that higher concentrations of homocysteine were significantly related to poorer performances at all neuropsychological tests. Longitudinal analyses confirmed this finding. The odds of cognitive decline was 2.8-fold (p < 0.05) higher in subjects with homocysteine levels above 15,mol/L compared with those with homocysteine levels below 10,mol/L. In participants who underwent magnetic resonance imaging, the relationship between homocysteine and cognition was unchanged after taking into account white matter hyperintensities suggesting that white matter hyperintensities do not mediate the association between homocysteine and cognition. Ann Neurol 2003;53:000,000 [source]

Gender differences in patients with Parkinson's disease treated with subthalamic deep brain stimulation

MOVEMENT DISORDERS, Issue 8 2007
Ettore Accolla MD
Abstract We investigated gender-differences in clinical phenomenology and response to deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) in a group of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Thirty-eight consecutive patients with PD (22 men and 16 women), bilaterally implanted for DBS of the STN, were evaluated 1 month before and 11 to 14 months after surgery. Gender differences in severity of the disease (HY and UPDRS), ability in the activities of daily living (ADL, UPDRS II), tremor and rigidity (UPDRS III), bradykinesia (UPDRS III and hand tapping test), levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LIDs, UPDRS IV), and levodopa equivalent daily dosage (LEDD) were analyzed before and after intervention. We found a predominantly male population, with no gender-related differences in age at onset, disease progression rate, or severity of disease. Nevertheless, women had more severe LIDs than men, only before the intervention. Bradykinesia was significantly less responsive to any kind of treatment (pharmacologic and neurosurgical) in women than in men. Finally, although STN-DBS induced similar total benefits in both genders, postoperative assessment suggested that the ADL improved more in women than in men. Women and men with advanced PD appear to differ in some clinical features and in response to dopaminergic and STN-DBS treatment. © 2007 Movement Disorder Society [source]

Cerebellar morphology in Tourette syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder

ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY, Issue 4 2010
Russell H. Tobe MD
Objective Neuroanatomical and functional imaging studies have identified the cerebellum as an integral component of motor and language control. Few studies, however, have investigated the role of the cerebellum in Tourette syndrome (TS), a condition defined by the presence of semi-involuntary movements and sounds. Methods Magnetic resonance imaging was conducted in 163 persons with TS and 147 control participants. Multivariate linear regression models were used to explore effects on cerebellar surface morphology and underlying volumes for the main diagnosis effects of TS as well as comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Additionally, the correlations of symptom severity with cerebellar morphology were also assessed. Results The TS group demonstrated reduced volumes of the cerebellar hemispheres bilaterally that derived primarily from reduced gray matter in crus I and lobules VI, VIIB, and VIIIA. These decreased regional volumes accompanied increasing tic symptom severity and motoric disinhibition as demonstrated by a finger tapping test. Males had reduced volumes of these same regions compared with females, irrespective of diagnosis. Comorbid OCD was associated with relative enlargement of these regions in proportion to the increasing severity of OCD symptoms. Interpretation The cerebellum is involved in the pathogenesis of TS and tic-related OCD. Baseline gender differences in cerebellar morphology may in part account for the more prevalent expression of TS in males. ANN NEUROL 2010;67:479,487 [source]

Moderate wine consumption is associated with better cognitive test results: a 7 year follow up of 5033 subjects in the Tromsø Study

ACTA NEUROLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2010
K. A. Arntzen
Arntzen KA, Schirmer H, Wilsgaard T, Mathiesen EB. Moderate wine consumption is associated with better cognitive test results: a 7 year follow up of 5033 subjects in the Tromsø Study. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 122 (Suppl. 190): 23,29. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Background,,, The impact of moderate alcohol consumption on cognitive function and dementia is unclear. We examined the relationship between consumption of different alcoholic beverages and cognitive function in a large population-based study. Methods,,, Subjects were 5033 stroke-free men and women who participated in a longitudinal population-based study in Tromsø, Norway. Alcohol consumption and other cardiovascular risk factors were measured at baseline and cognitive function was assessed after 7 years follow up with verbal memory test, digit,symbol coding test and tapping test. Results,,, Moderate wine consumption was independently associated with better performance on all cognitive tests in both men and women. There was no consistent association between consumption of beer and spirits and cognitive test results. Alcohol abstention was associated with lower cognitive performance in women. Conclusions,,, Light-to-moderate wine consumption was associated with better performance on cognitive tests after 7 years follow up. [source]