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Biomedical subjects

M Verin

Publications and source records attributed to M Verin.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

Does subthalamic nucleus stimulation induce apathy in Parkinson's disease?

BACKGROUND: Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation (STN-DBS) has been shown to significantly improve motor symptoms in advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). Only few studies, however, have focused on the non-motor effects of DBS. METHODS: A consecutive series of 15 patients was assessed three months before (M-3), then three months (M3) and six months (M6) after surgery. Mean (+/- SD) age at surgery was 59.7 (7.6). Mean disease duration at surgery was 12.2 (2.8) years. The Mini International Neuropsychiatric Inventory was used to assess psychiatric disorders three months before surgery. Depression was evaluated using Montgomery and Asberg Rating Scale (MADRS). Anxiety was evaluated using the AMDP system (Association for Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry). Apathy was particularly evaluated using the Apathy Evaluation Scale (AES) and the Starkstein Scale. All these scales were performed at every evaluation. RESULTS: Apathy worsened at M3 and M6 after STN-DBS in comparison with the preoperative evaluation: the AES mean score was significantly impaired between the preoperative (38.4+/-7.1) and both the postoperative M3 (44.6+/-9.5, p = 0.003) and M6 scores (46.0+/-10.9, p = 0.013). Significant worsening of apathy was confirmed using the Starkstein scale. There was no evidence of depression: the mean MADRS score did not differ before surgery (9.1+/-7.4) and at both M3 (8.6+/-8.2) and M6 (9.9+/-7.7) after STN-DBS. The anxiety level did not change between preoperative (9.4+/-9.2) and both M3 (5.5+/-4.5) and M6 (6.6+/-4.6) postoperative states. CONCLUSION: Although STN-DBS constitutes a therapeutic advance for severely disabled patients with Parkinson's disease, we should keep in mind that this surgical procedure may contribute to the inducing of apathy. Our observation raises the issue of the direct influence of STN- DBS on the limbic system by diffusion of stimulus to the medial limbic compartment of STN.

Aged↗

Does subthalamic nucleus stimulation affect the frontal limbic areas? A single-photon emission computed tomography study using a manual anatomical segmentation method.

Among the basal ganglia nuclei, the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is considered to play a major role in output modulation. The STN represents a relay of the motor cortico-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuit and has become the standard surgical target for treating Parkinson's patients with long-term motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. But chronic bilateral stimulation of the STN produces cognitive effects. According to animal and clinical studies, the STN also appears to have direct or indirect connections with the frontal associative and limbic areas. This prospective study was conducted to analyse regional cerebral blood flow changes in single-photon emission computed tomography imaging of six Parkinson's patients before and after STN stimulation. We particularly focused on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the frontal limbic areas using a manual anatomical MRI segmentation method. We defined nine regions of interest, segmenting each MR slice to quantify the regional cerebral blood flow on pre- and postoperative SPECT images. We normalised the region-of-interest-based measurements to the entire brain volume. The patients showed increased activation during STN stimulation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex bilaterally and no change in the anterior cingulate and orbito-frontal cortices. In our study, STN stimulation induced activation of premotor and associative frontal areas. Further studies are needed to underline involvement of the STN with the so-called limbic system.

Antiparkinson Agents↗

Nervous system lymphoid infiltration in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. A case report.

Neurological complications may occur in the course of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (Wm). These complications affect both the central and peripheral nervous system. Pathogenesis is debated and several mechanisms have been suggested. Direct malignant lymphoid infiltration (MLI) is very rare and has only been reported in a few cases. Case report. A 67-year-old woman suffered from Wm for 10 years before she presented neurological complications of the disease. She did not receive any specific treatment for Wm owing to a lack of symptoms. The neurological complications consisted of peripheral demyelinating polyneuropathy and MLI of the nervous system. This infiltration was located in the lower perimedullary and cauda equina roots regions, with possible centromedullary involvement. Indirect demonstration of MLI was achieved through non-invasive tests including magnetic resonance imaging and detailed cerebrospinal fluid examination. General and intrathecal chemotherapy led to clinical, biological and radiological improvement over a four-year period.

Acute Disease↗

Vesicourethral dysfunction and urodynamic findings in multiple sclerosis: a study of 149 cases.

OBJECTIVE: Vesicourethral dysfunction is common in people with multiple sclerosis and results in significant impairment. We studied the clinical and urodynamic findings in such patients to define risk factors for incontinence and upper urinary tract infections. DESIGN AND SETTING: A cohort study of 149 patients with multiple sclerosis and urinary symptoms seen in our urodynamic laboratory. INTERVENTION: A complete urodynamic study of each patient with urethrocystometry and continuous recording of the urethral sphincter electromyography and assessment of postvoid residual. RESULTS: Detrusor hyperreflexia and sphincter dyssynergia were the main dysfunctions. No significant relation between clinical features and urodynamic patterns was found. Women with low maximal urethral pressure were particularly prone to incontinence, which occurred in 69% of the patients. Pyelonephritis was associated with a postvoiding residual urine of > 30% of the functional detrusor capacity, and was found more often in the male population. CONCLUSION: Urodynamic assessment of bladder function is critical to direct therapy for urinary complaints in people with multiple sclerosis.

Adult↗

Treatment of detrusor sphincter dyssynergia by transperineal injection of botulinum toxin.

Detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia is an involuntary contraction of the external urethral sphincter during the detrusor contraction. It causes voiding dysfunction and can lead to urologic complications such as hydroureteronephrosis and renal failure. Patients with spinal cord injuries are particularly vulnerable. Botulinum toxin has been used via cystoscopy to decrease the activity of the external urethral sphincter. This report describes the treatment of 5 tetraplegic patients by single transperineal injections of botulinum toxin for detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia, proved by a urodynamic study with electromyography. A total of 15 injections was given, resulting in improved bladder function in all patients. Urodynamic assessment after treatment showed an increase of the functional detrusor capacity and a decrease of the maximal detrusor pressure during voiding. These results confirm the consideration of botulinum toxin as a treatment for detrusor sphincter dyssynergia. A single transperineal injection is a valuable, less invasive treatment using a cystoscopic technique.

Adult↗

[Cognitive functions and the basal ganglia: the model of Parkinson disease].

Cognitive changes have long been observed in patients with degenerative diseases or focal lesions that involve primarily subcortical structures. Generally speaking, the deficits that have been reported in these diseases are similar and include: slowing of central processing; defective use of memory stores; impaired behavioural regulation in sorting tasks; disorders of plaining in tower-related tasks; and impaired manipulation of internal representation of visuo-spatial stimuli. Given the modulatory role of the basal ganglia and related structures, these disorders might result from more fundamental deficits concerning the allocation of attentional resources, the temporal organization of behaviour, the maintenance of representations in working memory or the self-elaboration of internal strategy, all of which resemble dysfunctions of processes that are commonly considered to be controlled by the frontal lobes. This suggests a functional continuity between the basal ganglia and association areas of the prefrontal cortex. The recent description in primates of parallel, segregated loops that interconnect well-defined subregions of the basal ganglia to discrete areas of the prefrontal cortex via the thalamus may give some support to this hypothesis.

Animals↗

Delayed response tasks and prefrontal lesions in man--evidence for self generated patterns of behaviour with poor environmental modulation.

The functions of the frontal lobes in humans are still under debate, mainly because none of the neuropsychological tests used for their assessment is sufficiently specific for frontal dysfunction. In animals, the delayed reaction paradigm is considered to be a specific marker of the function of dorsolateral region of the prefrontal cortex. It seemed of interest, therefore, to attempt to apply this paradigm to patients with recent and limited cortical lesion of vascular origin. The performance of patients with dorsolateral prefrontal lesion (n = 10) was compared to that of patients with post-central lesion (n = 10) and control subjects (n = 24), in four experiments: a Delayed Response task in which the correct answer was previously indicated by an explicit cue (externally guided task); Delayed Alternation and Non-Alternation tasks coupled with a Delayed Reversal task in which the patient had to discover the rule by himself in the absence of explicit cues (internally driven tasks). Patients with prefrontal lesion showed a specific deficit in the Delayed Response task, the emergence of a stereotyped behaviour in the Delayed Alternation task and an inability to deduce and to transfer rules (non-alternation and reversal), mainly because of difficulty in abandoning previous behaviours. Our study demonstrates that the prefrontal cortex plays a role in behavioural adaptation to challenging new situations by inhibiting not only ongoing elaborated programmes but also the emergence of previously established automatic programmes. The respective role of the prefrontal cortex and the basal ganglia in these two levels of behavioural organization is discussed.

Aged↗

Cognitive alterations in non-demented CADASIL patients.

CADASIL is an inherited small-artery disease of the brain due to mutations of the Notch3 gene on chromosome 19. It is characterized by strokes, migraine with aura, and severe mood disturbances during mid adulthood and leads progressively to subcortical dementia. The precise onset of the cognitive decline in CADASIL remains unknown. We report here the cognitive evaluation of 8 non-demented symptomatic patients with CADASIL from 35 to 66 years of age. Altered performances were found in all subjects with the Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST), in 5/8 with the Trail-Making Test, and in 3/8 with copying of Rey's figure. Altered performances with codes and similarities of the WAIS-R, the Wechsler Memory Scale, Raven's Progressive Matrices, and the category and letter fluency task were observed less frequently (n < or = 2). The score obtained with the WCST was not significantly correlated with the severity of the white-matter or basal ganglia signal abnormalities at MRI examination. Our data show that: (1) symptomatic CADASIL patients, although non-demented, can present with a subtle cognitive impairment; (2) tasks involving the frontal lobes are found most frequently altered, and (3) this subtle cognitive deficit can develop in the absence of major vascular events and does not appear to be correlated with the severity of brain lesions as seen at MRI examination.

Adult↗