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B Oken

Publications and source records attributed to B Oken.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Exacerbated physical fatigue and mental fatigue in Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize fatigue in Parkinson's disease (PD). BACKGROUND: Fatigue is a recognized problem in PD. Fatigue can be in the physical realm or in the mental realm. Fatigue has not been characterized in PD. METHODS: We characterized fatigue in 39 PD patients and 32 age-matched normal controls using five questionnaires: A. The Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), which measures five dimensions of fatigue independently including general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced motivation, reduced activity, and mental fatigue. B. The Fatigue Severity Inventory (FSI), which quantifies fatigue in general. C. The Profile of Mood States (POMS), which assesses six subjective subscales: tension-anxiety, depression-dejection, anger-hostility, fatigue-inertia, vigor-activity, and confusion-bewilderment. D. Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D). E. Visual Analog linear scale of energy (VA-E). RESULTS: PD patients scored higher in all of the five dimensions of fatigue in the MFI including general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced motivation, reduced activity, and mental fatigue (P < 0.001 except for mental fatigue P = 0.005). The severity of physical fatigue did not correlate with that of mental fatigue. PD patients scored higher on the FSI, POMS, CES-D, and scored lower on the VA-E. The scores in the FSI correlated with general fatigue, physical fatigue, reduced activity, and reduced motivation but not with mental fatigue in the MFI. Depression correlated with all dimensions of fatigue except physical fatigue in the MFI. Disease severity, as measured by Modified Hoehn and Yahr staging, did not correlate with any of the measures. CONCLUSIONS: PD patients have increased physical fatigue and mental fatigue compared to normals. Physical fatigue and mental fatigue are independent symptoms in PD that need to be assessed and treated separately.

Aged↗

Localizing acute stroke-related EEG changes: assessing the effects of spatial undersampling.

Because of its sensitivity to metabolic and ionic disturbances related to ischemia, the EEG can be a potentially useful tool for acute stroke detection and for monitoring affected tissue. However, the clinical use of the EEG in detecting stroke is determined in part by how accurately the spatial information is characterized. The purpose of the current study was to determine the effects of spatial undersampling on the distribution and interpretation of the stroke-related topographic EEG. Using a 128-channel sensor montage, EEG was recorded from six stroke patients acutely (between 8 and 36 hours) after symptom onset. The EEG was submitted to a spectral analysis and was compared with patient symptoms and MRI and computed tomographic findings. To determine loss of spatial and clinical information resulting from spatial undersampling, the average-referenced data from the original 128-channel recording montage were subsampled into 64-, 32-, and 19-channel arrays. Furthermore, the analytical findings were compared with a board-certified electroencephalographer's review of the raw EEG using a conventional clinical montage. As predicted, the results showed that accurate description of stroke-related topographic EEG changes is dependent on adequate spatial sampling density. Accurate description of the spatial distribution of the stroke-related EEG was achieved only with the 64- and 128-channel EEG. As the recording density decreases to 32 channels, the distribution of the scalp EEG spectra is distorted, potentially resulting in mislocalization of the affected region. Results of the clinical review by an expert electroencephalographer corroborated the quantitative analyses, and the results also demonstrated the shortcomings of the conventional 10-20 recording density for capturing focal EEG abnormalities in several cases. The EEG provides useful information about the localization of acute cerebral ischemia, but recording densities of 64 channels or higher are required for accurate spatial characterization of focal stroke-related EEG changes.

Adult↗

Motor slowing precedes cognitive impairment in the oldest old.

Eighty-five healthy elderly subjects were prospectively evaluated for 3 years to determine motor differences between those who remain cognitively intact and those who developed cognitive impairment during prospective follow-up. The 18 subjects who developed cognitive impairment had slower finger tapping and took longer to walk 30 feet before or at the time of cognitive impairment. Coordination was more impaired and steps, but not balance, deteriorated more rapidly, independent of other variables.

Aged↗

Modulation of the age at onset of Parkinson's disease by apolipoprotein E genotypes.

Parkinson's disease (PD) patients often develop dementia, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients frequently develop parkinsonian signs. The apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele is associated with increased risk and earlier onset of AD. We studied 137 unrelated white PD patients. Those with epsilon4 had the earliest onset (52.7 +/- 9.8 years), epsilon3/epsilon3 patients had an intermediate onset (56.1 +/- 11.1 years), and those with epsilon2 had the latest onset (59.1 +/- 13.4 years). The age at onset distribution for epsilon4/epsilon- was significantly earlier than for epsilon3/epsilon3 and epsilon2/epsilon3. These preliminary results suggest that apolipoprotein E genotypes modulate the age at onset of PD.

Age of Onset↗

Volume loss of the hippocampus and temporal lobe in healthy elderly persons destined to develop dementia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine initial locus and rate of degeneration of temporal lobe structures (total lobe, hippocampus and parahippocampus) in preclinical dementia. BACKGROUND: Postmortem studies suggest that the earliest changes in Alzheimer's disease are neurofibrillary tangle formation in hippocampus and adjacent cortex. MRI volume analysis of temporal lobe structures over time in subjects prior to developing dementia may allow the identification of when these processes begin, the rate they develop, and which areas are key to symptom development. METHODS: 30 nondemented (NoD), healthy, elderly individuals enrolled in a prospective study of healthy aging evaluated annually over a mean of 42 months. Twelve subjects with subsequent cognitive decline were assigned to the preclinical dementia group (PreD). All 120 annual MRI studies analyzed by volumetric techniques assessed group differences in temporal lobe volumes and rates of brain loss. RESULTS: NoD as well as PreD subjects had significant, time-dependent decreases in hippocampal and parahippocampal volume. Rates of volume loss between the groups did not significantly differ. PreD cases had significantly smaller hippocampi when asymptomatic. Parahippocampal volume did not differ between PreD and NoD cases. Significant time-dependent temporal lobe atrophy was present only in PreD. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal and parahippocampal atrophy occurs at a similar rate regardless of diagnostic group. Those who develop dementia may have smaller hippocampi to begin with, but become symptomatic because of accelerated loss of temporal lobe volume. Temporal lobe volume loss may mark the beginning of the disease process within six years prior to dementia onset.

Aged↗

A prospective study of cognitive health in the elderly (Oregon Brain Aging Study): effects of family history and apolipoprotein E genotype.

The oldest old are the fastest-growing segment of our population and have the highest prevalence of dementia. Little is known about the genetics of cognitive health in the very old. The aim of this study was to determine whether the genetic risk factors for Alzheimer disease (AD)--namely, apolipoprotein E (APOE) epsilon4 allele and a family history of dementia-continue to be important factors in the cognitive health of the very old. Case-control studies suggest that the effect of genetic factors diminishes at age >75 years. The present prospective study provided evidence to the contrary. We studied 114 Caucasian subjects who were physically healthy and cognitively intact at age 75 years and who were followed, for an average of 4 years, with neurological, psychometric, and neuroimaging examinations. Excellent health at entry did not protect against cognitive decline. Incidence of cognitive decline rose sharply with age. epsilon4 and a family history of dementia (independent of epsilon4) were associated with an earlier age at onset of dementia. Subjects who had epsilon4 or a family history of dementia had a ninefold-higher age-specific risk for dementia than did those who had neither epsilon4 nor a family history of dementia. These observations suggest that the rate of cognitive decline increases with age and that APOE and other familial/genetic factors influence the onset age throughout life.

Age of Onset↗

The association of obesity with joint pain and osteoarthritis in the HANES data.

Data from 4225 persons from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HANES) was used to determine whether obesity was associated with osteoarthritis (OA) or joint pain. Subjects were divided into four groups on the basis of sex and race. We found that obesity was associated with OA of the knee for each sex/race group (p less than 0.01). The association was strongest for women, and it was present even for subjects without evidence of knee pain on physical examination. Frame size was not significantly associated with OA of the knee. Relative weight was weakly associated with OA of the hips in white women and nonwhite men but not significantly associated with OA of the sacroiliac joint. Diabetes did not seem to be an important risk factor for OA. These results suggest that the additional mechanical stress resulting from obesity is the principal reason for the association between obesity and OA.

Adult↗