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John Yianni

Publications and source records attributed to John Yianni.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

A dominant bursting electromyograph pattern in dystonic conditions predicts an early response to pallidal stimulation.

Although chronic pallidal deep brain stimulation (DBS) is effective in the treatment of medically intractable dystonia, there is no way of predicting the variations in clinical outcome, partly due to our limited understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this condition. We recorded electromyographic (EMG) activity from the most severely affected muscle groups in seven dystonia patients before and after pallidal DBS. Patient EMG recordings could be classified into two groups: one consisting of patients who at rest demonstrated a dominant low frequency component of activity on power spectral analysis (ranging from 2 to 5 Hz), and one group in which this dominant pattern was absent. Early postoperative improvements (within 2-3 days) were observed in the former group, whereas the latter group benefited more gradually (over several months). Analysis of EMG activity may provide a sensitive means of identifying dystonic patients who are likely to be most responsive to functional neurosurgical intervention.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2006

Different mechanisms may generate sustained hypertonic and rhythmic bursting muscle activity in idiopathic dystonia.

Despite that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) is emerging as the favored intervention for patients with medically intractable dystonia, the pathophysiological mechanisms of dystonia are largely unclear. In eight patients with primary dystonia who were treated with bilateral chronic pallidal stimulation, we correlated symptom-related electromyogram (EMG) activity of the most affected muscles with the local field potentials (LFPs) recorded from the globus pallidus electrodes. In 5 dystonic patients with mobile involuntary movements, rhythmic EMG bursts in the contralateral muscles were coherent with the oscillations in the pallidal LFPs at the burst frequency. In contrast, no significant coherence was seen between EMG and LFPs either for the sustained activity separated out from the compound EMGs in those 5 cases, or in the EMGs in 3 other cases without mobile involuntary movements and rhythmic EMG bursts. In comparison with the resting condition, in both active and passive movements, significant modulation in the GPi LFPs was seen in the range of 8-16 Hz. The finding of significant coherence between GPi oscillations and rhythmic EMG bursts but not sustained tonic EMG activity suggests that the synchronized pallidal activity may be directly related to the rhythmic involuntary movements. In contrast, the sustained hypertonic muscle activity may be represented by less synchronized activity in the pallidum. Thus, the pallidum may play different roles in generating different components of the dystonic symptom complex.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Pregnancy in dystonic women with in situ deep brain stimulators.

In the past few years, an increasing number of dystonic patients, of both sexes, have undergone insertion of deep brain stimulators (DBS) with consistent improvement of their symptoms and enhancement of their quality of life. We describe 3 women with dystonia who, after insertion of bilateral globus pallidus internus stimulators, succeeded in conceiving and completing pregnancies, 2 of them having married. These histories illustrate the significant positive impact that DBS can have on women's social relationships. Based on this experience, we also provide an overview of some of the issues that might arise in pregnancy and during delivery in dystonic women with an in situ deep brain stimulator.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Use of surface electromyography to assess and select patients with idiopathic dystonia for bilateral pallidal stimulation.

OBJECT: The object of this study was to identify a preoperative physiological index by using surface electromyography (EMG) signals that would correlate with clinical outcome in dystonic patients following bilateral pallidal stimulation. METHODS: In 14 patients with spasmodic torticollis, generalized dystonia, and myoclonic dystonia, surface EMG signals were recorded from the most affected muscle groups. Although the dystonia affected different body segments, the EMG signals in all patients could be decomposed into bursting and sustained components. Subsequently, a ratio of the EMG amplitude was calculated between the two components and then correlated with clinical outcome. Patients who experienced rapid improvement following bilateral pallidal stimulation had a significantly higher EMG ratio compared with those who did not. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between the EMG ratio and clinical improvement during the 12-month period following pallidal stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that surface EMG studies could be used to predict the clinical outcome of and to select patients for pallidal stimulation for dystonia.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Deep brain stimulation for generalised dystonia and spasmodic torticollis.

Dystonia appears distinct from the other tremulous disorders in that improvement following deep brain stimulation frequently appears in a delayed and progressive manner. The rate of this improvement and the point at which no further progress can be expected are presently unknown. The establishment of these parameters is important in the provision of accurate and relevant prognostic information to these patients, their carers, and their treating physicians. We studied 12 consecutive patients with generalised dystonia (n=6) and spasmodic torticollis (n=6) who underwent bilateral globus pallidus internus (GPi) deep brain stimulation (DBS) and were followed up for a minimum of 2 years postoperatively. Standard rating scales were used to quantify their neurological improvement. Both groups experienced a statistically significant improvement in their rating scores at both one and two years following surgery. At 2 years follow-up, the spasmodic torticollis group exhibited a 59% improvement in their total Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticoilis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) rating score and the generalised dystonia group attained a 46% improvement in their overall Burke, Fahn and Marsden Dystonia Rating Scale (BFMDRS) evaluation. Ninety-five percent of the final improvement was attained by 6.4 months in the generalised dystonia group and by 6.6 months in those with spasmodic torticollis. There was no significant improvement after one year postoperatively. These findings add further support to GPi DBS as an effective treatment for generalised dystonia and spasmodic torticollis, and furnish important information as to the expected rate of improvement and the point at which no further gains can be reasonably anticipated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Effect of GPi DBS on functional imaging of the brain in dystonia.

Five patients with idiopathic dystonic conditions, treated successfully with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi), were studied using single-photon emission tomography (SPET) in order to evaluate brain perfusion in the presence and absence of DBS. Comparison was made between the "on" and "off" DBS scans on an individual basis and also as part of a group analysis. Whilst the individual data suggested great regional variation in cerebral perfusion between individuals, the results of the group analysis revealed several topographically similar areas of the brain where relative hyperperfusion in the absence of DBS was common to all patients. Based on these results we postulate on possible mechanisms for this phenomenon.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Extracting burst and tonic components from surface electromyograms in dystonia using adaptive wavelet shrinkage.

The compound surface electromyograms (EMGs) recorded from patients with dystonia commonly contains superimposed bursting and tonic activity representing various motor symptoms. It is desirable to differentially extract them from the compound EMGs so that different symptoms can be more specifically investigated and different mechanisms revealed. A non-linear denoising approach based on wavelet transformation was investigated by applying soft thresholding to the wavelet coefficients. Thresholds were determined according to three different principles and two models. Different techniques for wavelet shrinkage were investigated for separating burst and tonic activity in the compound EMGs. The combination of Stein's unbiased risk estimate principle with a non-white noise model proved optimal for separating burst and tonic activity. These turned out to be exponentially related; and the temporal relationships between antagonist muscle contractions could now be seen clearly. We conclude that adaptive soft-thresholding wavelet shrinkage provides effective separation of burst and tonic activity in the compound EMG in dystonia. This separation should improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of dystonia.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2004

Optimising coherence estimation to assess the functional correlation of tremor-related activity between the subthalamic nucleus and the forearm muscles.

Application of coherence estimation needs not only to correctly estimate coherence values but also to efficiently test the statistical significance of the estimates. In the present report, we have explained the approach of optimising a coherence estimator by restricting its normalised bias error and random error. In addition to the commonly used independence threshold, two more tests based on the probability of detection and the exact confidence interval have been proposed for detecting the significance of the coherence estimates. All three methods have been used to evaluate the significant functional correlation between oscillatory field potentials (FPs) in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the surface electromyogram (EMG) of the forearm muscles during tremor in Parkinson's disease.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed2003

Globus pallidus internus deep brain stimulation for dystonic conditions: a prospective audit.

In the current era of functional surgery for movement disorders, deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the globus pallidus internus (GPi) is emerging as the favoured target in the treatment of patients with dystonia. The results of 25 consecutive patients with medically intractable dystonia (12 with generalised dystonia, 7 with spasmodic torticollis, and 6 with other types of dystonia) treated with GPi stimulation are reported. Although comparisons were limited by differences in their respective neurological rating scales, chronic DBS benefited all groups, resulting in clear and progressive improvements in their condition. This study clearly demonstrates that DBS of the GPi provides amelioration of intractable dystonia.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Deep brain stimulation for dystonia.

Within the past few years, there has been a renaissance of functional neurosurgery for the treatment of dystonic movement disorders. In particular, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has widened the spectrum of therapeutical options for patients with otherwise intractable dystonia. It has been introduced only with a delay after DBS became an accepted treatment for advanced Parkinson' disease (PD). In this overview, the authors summarize the current status of its clinical application in dystonia. Deep brain stimulation for dystonia has been developed from radiofrequency lesioning, but it has replaced the latter largely in most centers. The main target used for primary dystonia is the posteroventral globus pallidus internus (GPi), and its efficacy has been shown in generalized dystonia, segmental dystonia, and complex cervical dystonia. The optimal target for secondary dystonias is still unclear, but some patients appear to benefit more from thalamic stimulation. The improvement of dystonia with chronic DBS frequently is delayed, in particular concerning tonic dystonic postures. Because more energy is needed for stimulation than in other movement disorders such as PD, more frequent battery replacements are necessary, which results in relatively higher costs for chronic DBS. The study of intraoperative microelectrode recordings and of local field potentials by the implanted DBS electrodes has yielded new insights in the pathophysiology of dystonia. Larger studies are underway presently to validate the observations being made.

Brain Mapping↗