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A Ceballos-Baumann

Publications and source records attributed to A Ceballos-Baumann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Force level independent representations of predictive grip force-load force coupling: a PET activation study.

The existence of forward internal models is a fundamental principle in theories of predictive motor control. There are indications that internal models are represented in the cerebellum. So far, no conclusive data exist on automated procedures involving predictive motor behavior. In particular, it is unknown whether single or multiple task-specific internal models handle the broad range of behavioral situations in which they occur. Using H2(15)O PET in eight subjects, we examined predictive motor control in an automated grip force-load force coupling task at three differing load force levels. In the experimental condition, subjects pulled a grasped object against an isometric resistance while simultaneously producing anticipatory grip forces. There were three control conditions (pull force isolated; grip force isolated; motor rest). A 2 x 2 factorial design was chosen to reveal the interaction effect of grip force-pull force coupling. The factors were pull force (with/without) and grip force (with/without). Grip and load forces were well matched between experimental and control conditions. Conjunction inference and interaction analyses identified force coupling related activity in the ipsilateral posterior cerebellum that was independent of force levels. Interaction effects were also identified in the anterior cingulate and frontal association regions, the right caudate nucleus, and the left lingual gyrus. These data demonstrate the existence of modular representations for predictive force coupling, with the ipsilateral cerebellum playing a major role. Moreover, the data implicate that the representations for predictive force control are applicable to a range of different environmental affordances.

Brain↗
PubMed2004

The role of alpha-synuclein gene multiplications in early-onset Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

BACKGROUND: A triplication of the alpha-synuclein gene was found to cause autosomal dominant Lewy body disease in two distinct families. METHOD: We searched for alterations of alpha-synuclein gene dosage and analysed the entire coding region for point mutations in 54 dementia with Lewy body disease (DLB) and in 103 young onset Parkinson's disease (PD) patients from Central Europe. RESULTS: We could not detect any quantitative alterations in the gene dosage of alpha-synuclein. Mutational screening of the entire coding region of alpha-synuclein revealed only one silent mutation V3V (adenine9guanine) in one case. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, this phenomenon appears not to be a major cause in the pathogenesis of sporadic DLB and young onset PD in this European population.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

[Diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson's syndrome. What is important for the general practitioner?].

The diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is clinical and is based on the identification of a combination of the cardinal motor signs of bradykinesia plus at least one of the following: rigidity, tremor or postural instability. There are many causes of parkinsonism such as drug induced parkinsonism, subcortical vascular disease, and multisystem atrophy. PD is a well characterised syndrome which represents only a part of the various causes of parkinsonism. A good response to dopaminergics is an important diagnostic criteria for PD. Pharmacotherapy for PD relies primarily on levodopa and dopamine agonists. Deep brain stimulation is increasingly used in the management of patients with severe dopa fluctuations and dyskinesias. Cholinesterase inhibitors are introduced for dementia in parkinsonism. Neuroprotective compounds, nerve growth factors such as GDNF and the implantation of dopaminergic cells are studied in clinical trials.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

A novel quality of life instrument for deep brain stimulation in movement disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a short instrument to examine quality of life (QoL) which specifically addresses patients with movement disorders treated by deep brain stimulation (DBS). DESIGN: The instrument was developed within an existing concept of a modular questionnaire (questions on life satisfaction: "general life satisfaction" QLS(M)-A, and "satisfaction with health" QLS(M)-G), in which each item is weighted according to its relative importance to the individual. METHODS: Items were generated by interviews with 20 DBS patients, followed by item reduction and scale generation, factor analysis to determine relevant and final questionnaire items, estimation of reliability, and validation based on the medical outcome study 36 item short form health survey (SF-36) and the EuroQol (EQ-5D) (data from 152 patients with Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, or idiopathic torsion dystonia, including 75 patients with DBS). RESULTS: Initial questionnaires were reduced to 12 items for a "movement disorder module" (QLS(M)-MD), and five items for a "deep brain stimulation module" (QLS(M)-DBS). Psychometric analysis revealed Cronbach's alpha values of of 0.87 and 0.73, and satisfactory correlation coefficients for convergent validity with SF-36 and EQ-5D. CONCLUSIONS: QLS(M)-MD and QLS(M)-DBS can evaluate quality of life aspects of DBS in movement disorders. Psychometric evaluation showed the questionnaires to be reliable, valid, and well accepted by the patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Inherited Myoclonus-dystonia syndrome: narrowing the 7q21-q31 locus in German families.

Genetic studies were performed in four German families with autosomal dominant myodonus-dystonia syndrome. Mutations in the D2 dopamine receptor gene, which have been implicated in this disorder, were excluded in all four families by linkage analysis and direct sequencing. All four families supported linkage to the second reported locus on chromosome 7q21 with a combined maximum multipoint lod score of 5.99. The observation of key recombinations in one family refined the disease locus to a 7.2 cM region flanked by the markers D7S652 and D7S2480.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene in early limb-onset idiopathic torsion dystonia in Germany.

We examined 57 patients with idiopathic torsion dystonia (ITD) for the 3-bp GAG deletion in the DYT1 gene on human chromosome 9q34. Three of five patients with early limb-onset ITD, one of them with a positive family history, tested positive for the mutation, as did one young patient with multifocal dystonia and a short course of the disease. Two patients with early-onset generalized dystonia beginning in the cervical muscles, as well as five other patients with multifocal, 14 patients with segmental, and 30 patients with focal cervical dystonia did not carry the mutation. This suggests that the GAG deletion is responsible for a major portion of cases of typical early limb-onset dystonia, but not for other types of dystonia, in our population.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Changes in handwriting resulting from bilateral high-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus in Parkinson's disease.

High-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a promising therapeutic approach in patients with severely disabling Parkinson's disease (PD). Whereas STN stimulation improves the cardinal signs of PD, little is known about the effects of STN stimulation on fine manual skills like handwriting. Therefore, the present study investigated the changes in handwriting during bilateral STN stimulation in 12 patients with advanced PD. Dopaminergic medication was discontinued at least 12 hours before the study. The patients were asked to write a standardized sentence repetitively. Five samples of the patient's script were recorded during effective bilateral STN stimulation and 1 hour after both stimulators had been switched off. The movements of the tip of the pencil were recorded using a digitizing tablet. Handwriting movements were segmented into subsequent up- and down-strokes, and a stroke-based kinematic analysis of handwriting was performed. During high-frequency STN stimulation, handwriting movements became faster and smoother indicating a partial restoration of an "open-loop" automatic performance. In addition, STN stimulation gave rise to a significant increase in the mean vertical stroke length demonstrating a stimulation-related reduction in micrographia. The present data underscores the importance of the STN in "open-loop" performance of highly skilled sequential hand movements.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Side-controlled intradermal injection of botulinum toxin A in recalcitrant axillary hyperhidrosis.

BACKGROUND: Although topical application of aluminium chloride is the most common measure against axillary sweating, severely affected patients often undergo surgical procedures that are expensive and may have considerable side effects. Recently botulinum toxin A (BT-A) has been reported as a potentially effective antihyperhidrotic agent. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the therapeutic strength, safety, and mode of application of BT-A in severe axillary hyperhidrosis. METHODS: Intradermal injection of BT-A (Dysport) was given in an open left-versus-right side trial with each patient being his own control for initial efficacy, followed by treatment of the contralateral side. RESULTS: Seven days after initial treatment sweat production fell to below 10% of the untreated contralateral axilla as determined by gravimetry. Satisfaction was rated unanimously as "very good," the highest of 5 rankings. No side effects such as skin irritation or muscle weakness were noted in any patient. CONCLUSION: Intradermal injection of BT-A is a potent and well-accepted therapeutic option in patients with recalcitrant axillary hyperhidrosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

Sensory processing in Parkinson's and Huntington's disease: investigations with 3D H(2)(15)O-PET.

There is conjoining experimental and clinical evidence supporting a fundamental role of the basal ganglia as a sensory analyser engaged in central somatosensory control. This study was aimed at investigating the functional anatomy of sensory processing in two clinical conditions characterized by basal ganglia dysfunction, i.e. Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. Based on previously recorded data of somatosensory evoked potentials, we expected deficient sensory-evoked activation in cortical areas that receive modulatory somatosensory input via the basal ganglia. Eight Parkinson's disease patients, eight Huntington's disease patients and eight healthy controls underwent repetitive H(2)(15)O-PET activation scans during two experimental conditions in random order: (i) continuous unilateral high-frequency vibratory stimulation applied to the immobilized metacarpal joint of the index finger and (ii) rest (no vibratory stimulus). In the control cohort, the activation pattern was lateralized to the side opposite to stimulus presentation, including cortical [primary sensory cortex (S1); secondary sensory cortex (S2)] and subcortical (globus pallidus, ventrolateral thalamus) regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) increases (P < 0.001). Between-group comparisons (P < 0.01) of vibration-induced rCBF changes between patients and controls revealed differences in central sensory processing: (i) in Parkinson's disease, decreased activation of contralateral sensorimotor (S1/M1) and lateral premotor cortex, contralateral S2, contralateral posterior cingulate, bilateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann area 10) and contralateral basal ganglia; (ii) in Huntington's disease, decreased activation of contralateral S2, parietal areas 39 and 40, and lingual gyrus, bilateral prefrontal cortex (Brodmann areas 8, 9, 10 and 44), S1 (trend only) and contralateral basal ganglia; (iii) in both clinical conditions relative enhanced activation of ipsilateral sensory cortical areas, notably caudal S1, S2 and insular cortex. Our data show that Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease, beyond well-established deficits in central motor control, are characterized by abnormal cortical and subcortical activation on passive sensory stimulation. Furthermore, the finding that activation increases in ipsilateral sensory cortical areas may be interpreted as an indication of either altered central focusing and gating of sensory impulses, or enhanced compensatory recruitment of associative sensory areas in the presence of basal ganglia dysfunction. Altered sensory processing is thought to contribute to pertinent motor deficits in both conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

[Botulinum toxin A in dermatology].

Based on its unique botulinum toxin is referred to as the most poisonous poison. Its specific inhibition of the acetyl-cholin-dependent neuromuscular transmission is used by ophthalmologists and neurologists for the relaxation of spastic or dystonic muscles, preferably in muscle groups in the head and neck area. Analogously, it is being used by dermatologists to remove facial wrinkles by paralyzing mimic muscles which account for mechanically induced wrinkling. Apart from this purely cosmetic use, botulinum toxin has gained recent attention in dermatology as a potent treatment modality for circumscribed hyperhidrosis.

Botulinum Toxins, Type A↗
PubMed1998

[Axillary hyperhidrosis: successful treatment with botulinum toxin A].

Severe hyperhidrosis may present as a vexing condition for the patient and a therapeutic challenge for the physician. As botulinum toxin-A (BT-A) can potently block cholinergic sympathic innervation of sweat glands it was used in an open trial for controlling severe axillary hyperhidrosis. After visualization of hyperhidrosis using the iodine-starch-test BT-A (Dysport, 400 Units) was injected intradermally in one axilla. One week later gravimetric quantification of sweat secretion revealed a reduction of sweating to 4-9% of initial values. In order to rule out daily variations as well as other factors interfering with sweat production BT-A treatment was restricted to only one axilla in each individual clearly demonstrating extensive anhidrotic efficacy on the treated side only. The treatment was well tolerated without side-effects and was assessed as 'completely satisfying' by all patients. BT-A may offer a fast, safe and highly effective therapeutic option for severe hyperhidrosis.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Stereotactic thalamotomy in tremor-dominant Parkinson's disease: an H2(15)O PET motor activation study.

Stereotactic thalamotomy is an effective treatment for severe drug-resistant tremor. The thalamus, however, facilitates motor activity, and thalamotomy would be predicted to inhibit movement-associated cortical activation. Two tremulous parkinsonian patients were studied with H2(15)O positron emission tomography before and after left ventralis intermedius thalamotomy. Subjects were scanned at rest and during performance of externally paced joystick movements in freely selected directions with the right hand. Thalamotomy relieved tremor but, as predicted, led to decreased activation of the left sensorimotor cortex, lateral premotor cortex, and parietal area 7 on hand movement.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

Cortical control of movement in Huntington's disease. A PET activation study.

Regional cerebral blood flow was measured with H2(15)O PET in seven patients with choreic Huntington's disease and seven age-matched control subjects. Subjects were scanned at rest and when performing paced joystick movements, in freely chosen directions, with the dominant arm. During movement, the patients showed impaired activation of contralateral primary motor, medial premotor, bilateral parietal and bilateral prefrontal areas along with increased activation of bilateral insular areas. The underactivity of frontal areas in Huntington's disease is similar to the pattern of impaired activation in Parkinson's disease and is likely to result from degeneration of basal ganglia to frontal projections. Primary motor underactivity may explain the bradykinesia that these patients exhibit and, if inhibitory neurons are involved, also their chorea.

Adult↗