Prognostic implications of the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease with respect to clinical,computertomographic and psychometric parameters

Summary Forty-four Parkinson patients (19 patients of the rigid-akinetic type, 13, of the rigid-akinetic-tremor type, and 12, of the tremor type) were included in a study in order to analyse correlations of the expression of the motor symptoms tremor, rigidity, akinesia, with other clinical parameters, computertomographic aspect of brain atrophy and psychometrically assessed cognitive parameters. Rigidity and akinesia are significantly positively correlated with the severity of motor dysability, stage of the disease, and brain atrophy, as is akinesia with a history of pharmacotoxic psychosis. Tremor is significantly negatively correlated with motor dysability, stage of the disease, and history of pharmacotoxic psychosis. Akinesia is correlated with visuomotor dysfunction (tested with Bender Gestalt Test) and rigidity with the depression score (Zung scale). The tremor type is favorable, the rigid-akinetic type unfavorable with respect to motor disability and psychosis.     

The nocturnal jejunal migrating motor complex: defining normal ranges by study of 51 healthy adult volunteers and meta-analysis

Interdigestive human small bowel motility is characterized by the migrating motor complex (MMC). The aims of this study were to: (i) establish the normal range of variables of the nocturnal jejunal MMC and (ii) incorporate these data in a subsequent meta-analysis. Eighty-one recordings were performed by prolonged (24 h) ambulatory manometry in 51 subjects in two centres. Quantitative analysis was undertaken of 419 Phase III and 332 Phase II episodes. Adjusted mean values of seven variables were calculated using a mixed-effects model. Meta-analysis of pooled published data to generate a reliable 95% reference range was also performed. Adjusted mean values and confidence intervals are presented for all seven variables. Intrasubject variances were large in comparison with intersubject. Meta-analysis of 19 studies (356 pooled patients) meeting inclusion criteria produced wide reference ranges. At least five such ranges are useful for the detection of abnormality in the individual. This is the largest study of normal volunteers presented to date, with ranges for many variables produced using appropriate statistical methodology. A model for definition of abnormality has been proposed. We recommend that these data may be used by investigators in this field as a complement to other existing indicators of small bowel dysmotility.     

21 d-6°头低位卧床期间运动训练对动态姿态平衡的影响

目的探讨21 d-6°头低位卧床和卧床运动训练对动态姿态平衡和控制功能的影响. 方法 10名健康男性青年被试者分为卧床对照组和卧床训练组,每组5人,卧床期间训练组每天进行2次、每次30 min逐级增加负荷的头低位功率自行车训练;分别于卧床前和卧床后21 d进行了动态姿态平衡和双膝等速肌力的测试. 结果与卧床前相比,对照组动态本体感觉得分和运动控制适应能力明显降低,双膝相对峰力矩明显降低,同时伴有腘绳肌与股四头肌峰力矩屈/伸比值的明显增加;训练组动态本体感觉得分和运动控制适应能力明显高于对照组,而腘绳肌与股四头肌峰力矩屈/伸比值无明显改变. 结论 21 d-6°头低位卧床运动训练能够明显改善卧床后动态姿态平衡及其动态运动适应功能.     

胫骨前肌疲劳时比目鱼肌诱发肌电图H波的变化及其机制探讨

为了解主动肌疲劳时拮抗肌脊髓运动神经元兴奋性变化的规律 ,本研究采用踝关节背屈运动形式 ,对胫骨前肌 (主动肌 )疲劳状态下的比目鱼肌 (拮抗肌 )诱发肌电图H波成分进行了观察。并以压迫阻断胫骨前肌Ⅰa类神经纤维传导的方法 ,对比目鱼肌H波变化机制进行了分析探讨。结果发现 :(1)胫骨前肌疲劳后 ,比目鱼肌H波明显受到抑制 ,与安静时比较呈非常显著性差异 ;(2 )胫骨前肌Ⅰa类神经纤维传导被阻断后 ,比目鱼肌H波的抑制现象没有解除。表明 ,胫骨前肌疲劳时比目鱼肌H波被抑制的原因 ,可能是由于主动肌内的代谢产物激活了Ⅲ·Ⅳ类神经纤维的感受器 ,Ⅲ·Ⅳ类神经纤维的传入冲动增加 ,使Ⅰa抑制性中间神经元被激活 ,导致拮抗肌脊髓运动神经元的兴奋性受到了抑制     

Abnormal sensorimotor integration is related to disease severity in Parkinson's disease: a TMS study.

Hyperexcitability of the motor system has been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD). We evaluate how cutaneous afferents modulate motor excitability in PD patients and whether abnormal modulation is correlated to parkinsonian symptoms. Digital stimulation causes abnormal enhancement of motor responses in patients. This effect may be one of the features of motor hyperexcitability in PD. Cutaneomotor hyperexcitability correlates with clinical scores, suggesting that abnormal processing of cutaneous inputs might contribute to the pathogenesis of parkinsonian symptoms.     

Prediction of Remission of Acute Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Motor Vehicle Accident Victims

One hundred forty five individuals who sought medical attention as a result of a motor vehicle accident (MVA), and who were initially assessed 1 to 4 months post-MVA, were followed up prospectively for 6 months to determine how many of the 55 with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the 43 with sub-syndromal PTSD would remit and what variables would predict remission. Thirty (55%) of those with initial PTSD had remitted at least in part by 6 months while 67% of those with sub-syndromal PTSD had remitted (and 5% had worsened). Four variables, including severity of initial symptoms, degree of initial physical injury, relative degree of physical recovery by 4 months and whether a close family member suffered a trauma during the follow-up interval, combined to classify 6-month clinical status of 84% of those with initial PTSD secondary to MVAs.     

Topography of cholinergic afferents from the nucleus basalis of meynert to representational areas of sensorimotor cortices in the rat

We investigated (1) the topography of projection neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM) with efferents to restricted regions of the primary somatosensory (SI), the second somatosensory (SII), and the primary motor (MI) cortices in the rat; (2) the percentage of these NBM projection neurons that were cholinergic; and (3) the collateralization, if any, of single NBM neurons to different subdivisions within SI, to homotopic areas of SI and SII, and to homotopic areas of SI and MI. Retrograde single-and double-labeling techniques were used to study NBM projections to electrophysiologically identified subdivisions of SI and to homotopic representational areas of SI and SII, and of SI and MI. Choline acetyltransferase immunocytochemistry was done to identify cholinergic NBM neurons. Of the retrogradely labeled NBM neurons that projected to selective subdivisions of SI, SII, and MI, 89%, 87%, and 88%, respectively, were cholinergic. We found a rostral-to-caudal progression of retrogradely labeled NBM neurons following a medial-to-lateral sequence of injections into subdivisions of SI. Overlapping groups of single-labeled NBM neurons were observed after injections of different tracers into adjacent subdivisions within SI or homotopic areas of SI and SII, and of SI and MI. We conclude that NBM innervation to SI, SII, and MI is mostly cholinergic in the rat, that each cortical area receives cholinergic afferents from neurons widely distributed within the NBM, and that each NBM neuron projects to a restricted cortical area without significant collateralization to adjacent subdivisions within SI or to homotopic areas of SI and SII, or SI and MI. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.