The impact of motor complications of Parkinson's disease (PD), especially levodopa-induced dyskinesias, on quality of life (QL) was studied in 143 patients with PD. All were evaluated on the Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) scale, and the Motor part of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Motor complications were analyzed using the UPDRS Parts IV(A) and IV(B) and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale. A specific Parkinson's disease quality of life questionnaire (39-item version, PDQ-39) was used. Motor complications significantly worsened the PDQ-39 Summary Index (PDQ-SI) of patients with PD. The dimensions of Mobility, Activities of Daily Living, Stigma, and Communication were the most strongly affected. "Peak dose" dyskinesia decreased Mobility, Emotional Well-Being, and Cognition, whereas biphasic dyskinesia affected Mobility, Stigma, Communication, and Activities of Daily Living. Morning akinesia, end-of-dose fluctuations, and "unpredictable offs" decreased QL on the dimensions of Mobility, Activities of Daily Living, Stigma, and Communication. Nocturnal akinesia led to a deterioration of all dimensions of the PDQ-39. Thus, motor complications and especially nocturnal akinesia and biphasic dyskinesias worsened the QL of PD patients.

PurposeTo study changes of iron content in basal ganglia in Parkinson’s disease (PD) through a three-year longitudinal follow-up of the effective transverse relaxation rate R2*, a validated MRI marker of brain iron content which can be rapidly measured under clinical conditions.MethodsTwenty-seven PD patients and 26 controls were investigated by a first MRI (t0). Longitudinal analysis was conducted among the 18 controls and 14 PD patients who underwent a second MRI (t1) 3 years after. The imaging protocol consisted in 6 gradient echo images obtained at different echo-times for mapping R2*. Quantitative exploration of basal ganglia was performed by measuring the variation of R2* [R2*(t1) – R2*(t0)] in several regions of interest.ResultsDuring the three-year evolution of PD, R2* increased in Substantia nigra (SN) (by 10.2% in pars compacta, p = 0.001, and 8.1% in pars reticulata, p = 0.013) and in the caudal putamen (11.4%, p = 0.011), without significant change in controls. Furthermore, we showed a positive correlation between the variation of R2* and the worsening of motor symptoms of PD (p = 0.028).ConclusionSignificant variation of R2* was longitudinally observed in the SN and caudal putamen of patients with PD evolving over a three-year period, emphasizing its interest as a biomarker of disease progression. Our results suggest that R2* MRI follow-up could be an interesting tool for individual assessment of neurodegeneration due to PD, and also be useful for testing the efficiency of disease-modifying treatments.

Although deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus reduces motor complications equally in both groups of patients, postoperative quality of life improved only in young patients.

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Deep brain stimulation of the posterior hypothalamus is a therapeutic approach to the treatment of refractory chronic cluster headache, but the precise anatomical location of the electrode contacts has not been clearly assessed. Our aim was to study the location of the contacts used for chronic stimulation, projecting each contact centre on anatomic atlases. Electrodes were implanted in a series of 10 patients (prospective controlled trial) in the so-called 'posteroinferior hypothalamus' according to previously described coordinates, i.e. 2 mm lateral, 3 mm posterior and 5 mm below the mid-commissural point. The coordinates of the centre of each stimulating contact were measured on postoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans, taking into account the artefact of the electrode. Each contact centre (n=10; left and right hemispheres pooled) was displayed on the Schaltenbrand atlas and a stereotactic three dimensional magnetic resonance imaging atlas (4.7 tesla) of the diencephalon-mesencephalic junction for accurate anatomical location. Of the 10 patients with 1-year follow-up, 5 responded to deep brain stimulation (weekly frequency of attacks decrease >50%). In responders, the mean (standard deviation) coordinates of the contacts were 2.98 (1.16) mm lateral, 3.53 (1.97) mm posterior and 3.31 (1.97) mm below the mid-commissural point. All the effective contacts were located posterior to the hypothalamus. In responders, structures located <2 mm from the centres of effective contacts were: the mesencephalic grey substance (5/5), the red nucleus (4/5), the fascicle retroflexus (4/5), the fascicle longitudinal dorsal (3/5), the nucleus of ansa lenticularis (3/5), the fascicle longitudinal medial (1/5) and the thalamus superficialis medial (1/5). The contact coordinates (Wilcoxon test) and the structures (Fisher's exact test) were not significantly different between responders and non-responders. These findings suggest that failure of deep brain stimulation treatment in cluster headache may be due to factors unrelated to electrode misplacement. They also suggest that the therapeutic effect is probably not related to direct hypothalamic stimulation. Deep brain stimulation might modulate either a local cluster headache generator, located in the hypothalamus or in the mesencephalic grey substance, or non-specific anti-nocioceptive systems.

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ObjectiveTo investigate whether milk polar lipids (PL) impact human intestinal lipid absorption, metabolism, microbiota and associated markers of cardiometabolic health.DesignA double-blind, randomised controlled 4-week study involving 58 postmenopausal women was used to assess the chronic effects of milk PL consumption (0, 3 or 5 g-PL/day) on lipid metabolism and gut microbiota. The acute effects of milk PL on intestinal absorption and metabolism of cholesterol were assessed in a randomised controlled crossover study using tracers in ileostomy patients.ResultsOver 4 weeks, milk PL significantly reduced fasting and postprandial plasma concentrations of cholesterol and surrogate lipid markers of cardiovascular disease risk, including total/high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and apolipoprotein (Apo)B/ApoA1 ratios. The highest PL dose preferentially induced a decreased number of intestine-derived chylomicron particles. Also, milk PL increased faecal loss of coprostanol, a gut-derived metabolite of cholesterol, but major bacterial populations and faecal short-chain fatty acids were not affected by milk PL, regardless of the dose. Acute ingestion of milk PL by ileostomy patients shows that milk PL decreased cholesterol absorption and increased cholesterol-ileal efflux, which can be explained by the observed co-excretion with milk sphingomyelin in the gut.ConclusionThe present data demonstrate for the first time in humans that milk PL can improve the cardiometabolic health by decreasing several lipid cardiovascular markers, notably through a reduced intestinal cholesterol absorption involving specific interactions in the gut, without disturbing the major bacterial phyla of gut microbiota.Trial registration numberNCT02099032 and NCT02146339; Results.