Hypomimia in Parkinson's Disease: What Is It Telling Us?

Introduction: Amimia is one of the most typical features of Parkinson's disease (PD). However, its significance and correlation with motor and nonmotor symptoms is unknown. The aim of this study is to evaluate the association between amimia and motor and nonmotor symptoms, including cognitive status, depression, and quality of life in PD patients. We also tested the blink rate as a potential tool for objectively measuring upper facial bradykinesia. Methods: We prospectively studied amimia in PD patients. Clinical evaluation was performed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and timed tests. Cognitive status, depression, and quality of life were assessed using the Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Rating Scale (PD-CRS), the 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS-SR16), and the PDQ-39, respectively. Amimia was clinically evaluated according to item 19 of UPDRS III. Finally, we studied upper facial amimia by measuring resting blink frequency and blink rate during spontaneous conversation. Results: We included 75 patients. Amimia (item 19 UPDRS III) correlated with motor and total UPDRS (r: 0.529 and 0.551 Spearman), and its rigidity, distal bradykinesia, and motor axial subscores (r: 0.472; r: 0.252, and r: 0.508, respectively); Hoehn and Yahr scale (r: 0.392), timed tests, gait freezing, cognitive status (r: 0.29), and quality of life (r: 0.268) correlated with amimia. Blinking frequency correlated with amimia (measured with item 19 UPDRS), motor and total UPDRS. Conclusion: Amimia correlates with motor (especially axial symptoms) and cognitive situations in PD. Amimia could be a useful global marker of overall disease severity, including cognitive decline.

Citicoline, use in cognitive decline: vascular and degenerative.

CDP-choline has been widespread used in humans for decades as a treatment for many types of cognitive impairment. Despite this, its mechanism of action still remains unclear, but several experimental models in acute cerebral ischaemia suggest that it could have a brain repair action. Due to the lack of significant adverse effects and its high tolerability, there has been a growing interest for this molecule in recent years. In this article, a review of the most significant published clinical trials in cognitive decline has been made. A few Citicoline trials have studied its effects at medium and long-term on vascular cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Results show that Citicoline seems to have beneficial impact on several cognitive domains, but the methodological heterogeneity of the these studies makes it difficult to draw conclusions about these effects. New trials with a greater number of patients, uniform diagnostic criteria for inclusion and standardized neuropsychological assessment are needed to evidence with much more consistency Citicoline efficacy upon cognitive disorders. The use of new neuroimaging procedures in current trials could be of great interest.

Parálisis periódica tirotóxica como forma de presentación de hipertiroidismo primario autoinmunitario. Utilidad del bloqueo betaadrenérgico no selectivo / Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis as a form of presentation of primary autoimmune hyperthyroidism: utility of non-selective â blockers

Se presenta el caso de un varón caucásico de 40 años de edad valorado en el servicio de urgencias por paraparesia de 1 h de evolución con hipopotasemia concomitante. Tras una progresión clínica brusca en las primeras 5 h de evolución, el cuadro se resolvió en relación con la normalización de la potasemia. La determinación analítica reveló un hipertiroidismo primario, y se estableció el diagnóstico de parálisis periódica tirotóxica. El abordaje terapéutico se centró en la administración de cloruro potásico, propranolol y metimazol. Pese a la aceptación generalizada del aporte potásico como primera medida terapéutica, la revisión de trabajos previos revela la necesidad de esclarecer la efectividad y el lugar del propranolol en el tratamiento de la crisis de parálisis periódica tirotóxica (AU)

A 40-year-old Caucasian man presented to the emergency room of our hospital with bilateral lower extremity weakness with onset 1 hour previously and concurrent hypokalemia. After dramatic clinical progression for the first 5 hours, the episode resolved once serum potassium levels were normalized. Laboratory data revealed primary hyperthyroidism, indicating a diagnosis of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis (TPP). Treatment consisted of potassium, propranolol and methimazole administration. Although the mainstay of therapy is potassium replacement, the role of propranolol in improving the acute clinical manifestations of TPP has yet to be adequately clarified (AU)

Neurobehçet: a propósito de un caso / NeuroBehçet: a case

La enfermedad de Behçet es un trastorno inflamatorio sistémico, caracterizado por aftosis orogenital así como por alteraciones oftalmológicas y cutáneas. Un 5% de los pacientes presenta manifestaciones neurológicas. Se presenta un caso de neurobehçet con participación neurológica inhabitual.Varón de 28 años con antecedente de aftas orales y genitales recurrentes e historia de foliculitis, que acudió por cuadro de 48 h de fiebre, cefalea, náuseas, paresia del sexto par craneal y del miembro superior derecho. El análisis del líquido cefalorraquídeo reveló pleocitosis linfocitaria con hiperproteinorraquia, se inició tratamiento antibiótico de amplio espectro. Se realizó resonancia magnética cerebral, que mostró lesiones hiperintensas de predominio troncoencefálico con realce tras infusión de gadolinio y trombosis del seno transverso izquierdo. El paciente mejoró progresivamente con tratamiento intravenoso con corticoides hasta quedar asintomático.La afectación neurológica en la enfermedad de Behçet es infrecuente y más aún la coexistencia de lesiones intraparenquimatosas y extraparenquimatosas. Habitualmente, presenta buena respuesta al tratamiento inmunosupresor (AU)

Behçet′s disease is an inflammatory systemic disorder, with oral and genital ulcers, as well as ophthalmologic and cutaneous disturbances. 5% of the patients have neurological alterations. We present a case of neuroBehçet with a rare neurological involvement.A 28 years-old male patient with recurrent oral and genital ulcer history and folliculitis presents 48h progressive fever, headache, nausea, right sixth cranial nerve palsy and right upper limb paresis. The CSF showed lymphocyte pleocytosis and high proteinorrachia, so antibiotic treatment was initiated. Cerebral MR found hyperintense enhancing lesions in the brainstem and left transverse sinus thrombosis. Patient improved with endovenous corticosteroids and was discharged asymptomatic.Neurological involvement in Behçet′s disease is rare and moreover the coexistence of parenchymatous and non-parenchymatous alterations in the same patient. It normally has a good response to immunosuppressant treatment (AU)

[NeuroBehçet: A case]. / Neurobehçet: a propósito de un caso.

Behçet's disease is an inflammatory systemic disorder, with oral and genital ulcers, as well as ophthalmologic and cutaneous disturbances. 5% of the patients have neurological alterations. We present a case of neuroBehçet with a rare neurological involvement. A 28 years-old male patient with recurrent oral and genital ulcer history and folliculitis presents 48h progressive fever, headache, nausea, right sixth cranial nerve palsy and right upper limb paresis. The CSF showed lymphocyte pleocytosis and high proteinorrachia, so antibiotic treatment was initiated. Cerebral MR found hyperintense enhancing lesions in the brainstem and left transverse sinus thrombosis. Patient improved with endovenous corticosteroids and was discharged asymptomatic. Neurological involvement in Behçet's disease is rare and moreover the coexistence of parenchymatous and non-parenchymatous alterations in the same patient. It normally has a good response to immunosuppressant treatment.

Ateromatosis del arco aórtico y riesgo de ictus isquémico: a propósito de un caso / Atheroma of the aortic arch and risk of ischemic stroke: a case

Las placas de ateroma del arco aórtico son un factor de riesgo poco conocido de ictus isquémico, generalmente por la producción de embolias arterioarteriales. Presentamos el caso de un varón de 67 años que llegó a nuestro hospital con un ictus hemisférico izquierdo con estudio etiológico rutinario negativo. En el ecocardiograma transesofágico (ETE), se detectó una gran placa de ateroma en arco aórtico, ulcerada y complicada, con trombo móvil en su pared, presuntamente causante del cuadro actual. La ateromatosis del arco aórtico es un factor de riesgo independiente de infarto cerebral, especialmente las placas grandes, ulceradas o trombosadas, y aparece en un porcentaje elevado de pacientes con ictus criptogénico. La actitud diagnóstica y terapéutica es controvertida en estos casos, pero se suele aconsejar el ETE, como método de referencia diagnóstico, y la antiagregación, como prevención secundaria. En el momento actual, son necesarios más estudios epidemiológicos, así como ensayos clínicos, para elaborar guías de tratamiento en estas situaciones (AU)

Aortic arch atheroma is a poorly understood risk factor for stroke, usually producing arterial embolisms. A 67 year-old male was admitted to our hospital with a left hemispheric stroke with a negative routine aetiological study. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) showed atherosclerosis of the aortic arch with mobile thrombus, presumably causing the actual stroke. Aortic arch atheromatosis is an independent risk factor for cerebral infarction, particularly large, ulcerated or thrombotic plaques, and it is found in many patients with cryptogenic stroke. Diagnosis and treatmnent is not clear in these cases, but TEE is used as gold-standard complementary test with antiplatelets as secondary prevention. Further epidemiological studies and clinical trials are necessary for the preparation of clinical guides (AU)