J.G. van Dijk

Sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue in Parkinson's disease

SummaryThe objective of this questionnaire-based survey was to evaluate the prevalence and causes of sleep disturbances in 90 nondepressive patients with Parkinsons disease (PD) and 71 age-matched healthy subjects. We also assessed the prevalence and characteristics of excessive daytime sleepiness (both groups) and excessive fatigue (PD patients).A high prevalence of sleep disturbances in PD patients was found; this is to a large extent probably the result of aging. As compared with controls, patients had a more severely disturbed sleep maintenance because of nycturia, pain, stiffness, and problems with turning in bed. The prevalence of excessive dreaming is similar in both groups, but altered dream experiences almost exclusively occurred in PD.Patients rated themselves more often to be morning-types than controls. This finding may account for the reported adaptation effects in experimental settings and the reduced REM latency in PD patients.The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was similar in both groups. Excessive daytime sleepiness showed a clear diurnal pattern with a peak in the early afternoon. As for excessive fatigue, the majority of the patients did not report a preferential time for this symptom. Our findings further argue against an association of fatigue with any circadian factor, and instead suggest a relationship with the motor deficits of PD.

Autonomic nervous system dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: relationships with age, medication, duration, and severity.

Heart rate variability at rest, during deep breathing, or standing up and with the Valsalva manoeuvre did not differ significantly between 67 patients with idiopathic Parkinsons disease (PD) and 31 healthy age matched controls. Blood pressure (BP) responses to standing up and sustained handgrip revealed diminished autonomic function in the PD group. In a preliminary analysis of the PD group older age, anti-Parkinson medication and higher Hoehn and Yahr (HY) stages were each associated with poor autonomic responsiveness. Disease duration was only related to the systolic BP fall on standing up. Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that older age explained most of the variance of heart rate variability (up to 36%), and the only significant PD related factor was the use of medication, which explained less than 7%. The HY stage accounted for 12.7% of the variance in the standing up BP test, and the use of medication explained 10.6% of the variance of the systolic BP change in the sustained hand grip test. The unmedicated PD subgroup (n = 33), who had mild disease of short duration, showed no evidence of autonomic dysfunction. Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction in PD is mild, mainly affects blood pressure responses, and occurs only in advanced cases.

EEG correlates in the spectrum of cognitive decline

OBJECTIVE To investigate relations between EEG measures and performance on tests of global cognition, memory, language and executive functioning. METHODS Twenty-two controls, 18 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 16 with probable Alzheimers disease (AD) underwent neuropsychological and EEG investigations. We used the following EEG measures: theta relative power during eyes closed, alpha reactivity during memory activation (i.e. the percentual decrease in alpha power as compared to eyes closed) and alpha coherence during eyes closed and memory activation. RESULTS Theta relative power was increased in AD patients as compared with controls (p<0.001) and MCI patients (p<0.01) and related to decreased performance in all cognitive domains. Alpha reactivity was decreased in AD patients as compared with controls (p<0.005) and related to decreased performance on tests of global cognition, memory and executive functioning. Alpha coherence did not differ between groups and was unrelated to cognition. CONCLUSIONS EEG power measures were associated with decreased performance on tests of global cognition, memory, language and executive functioning, while coherence measures were not. SIGNIFICANCE The EEG yielded several power measures related to cognitive functions. These EEG power measures might prove useful in prospective studies aimed at predicting longitudinal cognitive decline and dementia.

Juvenile Huntington disease.

SummaryOf 195 cases of juvenile Huntington disease gathered from case descriptions, the sex, age at onset, duration of disease, clinical type, sex of the affected parent, as well as sex, mean age at onset and at death of adult cases in the same pedigrees were noted when available, and the data were investigated for evidence of relationships between different features. Examination of a subset of 112 cases showed a preponderance of rigid cases, whose affected parent proved to be the father in a significantly high number of cases. Rigid paternal cases had a significantly lower age at onset, as well as a shorter duration of disease than choreatic paternal cases. No such relationship exists between rigid maternal and choreatic maternal cases. In rigid cases duration of disease proved to be shorter for those with a lower age at onset. Female juvenile cases tended to have a lower age at onset than male ones, regardless of clinical type or sex of the affected parent. The mean ages at onset and at death of adult members of the same pedigrees were not related to clinical type or age at onset of juvenile cases. It is argued that juvenile Huntington disease should not be regarded as a separate clinical entity, but as a manifestation of the rigid variant of the disease.

The prevalence of premonitory symptoms in migraine: a questionnaire study in 461 patients

Migraine attacks are often preceded by premonitory symptoms. Prevalence rates of migraine patients reporting one or more premonitory symptoms show considerable variability and rates range between 12% and 79%. Sources of variability might be differences in study population or research design. Using a questionnaire, we retrospectively studied the prevalence of 12 predefined premonitory symptoms in a clinic-based population. Of 461 migraine patients, 374 (81%) responded. At least one premonitory symptom was reported by 86.9% and 71.1% reported two or more. The most frequently reported premonitory symptoms were fatigue (46.5%), phonophobia (36.4%) and yawning (35.8%). The mean number of premonitory symptoms per person was 3.2 (± 2.5). Women reported 3.3 premonitory symptoms compared with 2.5 symptoms in men (P = 0.01). Age, education, migraine subtype (with or without aura) and mean attack frequency had no effect on the mean number of symptoms per individual. In conclusion, premonitory symptoms are frequently reported by migraine patients. Sensitivity and specificity of premonitory symptoms for migraine need to be assessed using prospective methods.

Neurophysiological tests and neuroimaging procedures in non-acute headache: guidelines and recommendations

The use of instrumental examinations in headache patients varies widely. In order to evaluate their usefulness, the most common instrumental procedures were evaluated, on the basis of evidence from the literature, by an EFNS Task Force (TF) on neurophysiological tests and imaging procedures in non‐acute headache patients. The conclusions of the TF regarding each technique are expressed in the following guidelines for clinical use.

Clinical aspects of multifocal or generalized tonic dystonia in reflex sympathetic dystrophy

The authors describe 10 patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy that progressed to a multifocal or generalized tonic dystonia. The neuropsychologic profile was similar to that of other patients with chronic pain, irrespective of its cause. The distribution pattern of dystonia, the stretch reflex abnormalities, and the worsening of dystonia after tactile and auditory stimuli suggest impairment of interneuronal circuits at the brainstem or spinal level. Antibody titers for glutamic acid decarboxylase, tetanus, and Sjögren antigens were all normal.

The outcome of absence epilepsy A meta-analysis

We performed a meta-analysis of studies on absence epilepsy (AE) to ascertain whether the outcome of this well-defined type of epilepsy can be stated unequivocally. Using the Index Medicus and Medline CD+, we identified 1,619 publications. After applying the criteria of the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) for AE, 26 publications on 23 study cohorts with a total of 2,303 patients were included. Remission rates ranged from 0.21 to 0.89; they differed substantially due to heterogeneity between the studies in inclusion criteria, methods, follow-up length, and outcome definitions. One half of the patients developed generalized tonic-clonic seizures (TCS) in the course of the disease. The proportion seizure free was 0.78 for patients with absence seizures (AS) only, and 0.35 for those who developed TCS. The outcome of AE may be worse than previously stated due to the considerable proportion of patients developing TCS in the course of their disease. Early prediction of outcome in patients who present with AS cannot be provided with certainty. NEUROLOGY 1996;47: 802-808

Efficacy of 3,4‐Diaminopyridine and Pyridostigmine in the Treatment of Lambert–Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome: A Randomized, Double‐Blind, Placebo‐Controlled, Crossover Study

3,4‐Diaminopyridine and pyridostigmine are widely used to treat Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome (LEMS), either alone or in combination. 3,4‐Diaminopyridine enhances the release of acetylcholine at the neuromuscular synapse, and pyridostigmine inhibits the degradation of this neurotransmitter. Although this could lead to a synergistic effect on neuromuscular transmission, no studies have compared the effects of these drugs in patients with LEMS. Therefore, we performed a placebo‐controlled, double‐dummy, double‐blind, randomized, crossover study in nine patients with LEMS.

Electrophysiological correlates of postural instability in Parkinson's disease

Postural reflexes in response to sudden toe-up tilts of a supporting forceplate platform were studied in free-standing patients with stage III (N = 5) and stage IV (N = 5) Parkinsons disease and compared to 5 age- and sex-matched normals. Latencies of the short (SL), medium (ML) and long latency (LL) responses were normal in the patients. The normalized mean amplitudes of the ML responses were significantly increased only in the stage IV Parkinson patients (P less than 0.0005). The distal-proximal activation sequence of LL responses observed in all 5 controls was reversed in 1 of the stage III and 4 of the stage IV Parkinson patients. Both the enlargement of the ML response (P less than 0.01) and the inverted activation sequence of LL responses (P less than 0.01) were significantly correlated with severity of the disease. The data establish an association between abnormal modulation of postural reflexes in the lower extremity and clinically rated balance impairment in Parkinsons disease.