Piergiorgio Lochner

Does age influence early recovery from ischemic stroke

Abstract. Age is the most important risk factor for developing a stroke. In addition, age may also influence stroke recovery. To allow structured discharge planning, it may be important to consider the influence of age on stroke recovery during the early phase. We studied the effect of patient age on early stroke recovery in a cohort of 2219 unselected stroke patients. Data on functional status (Barthel Index Score) were collected prospectively within 24h after admission, after one week and at discharge for 2219 acute stroke patients treated in 1999 and 2000 at 7 neurological departments in the county of Hesse, Germany. Multiple regression analyses were used to test for an association between age, relative recovery and speed of recovery of ADL after stroke. More than half of the patients (58 %) improved in functional status during hospitalization. 37 % had no change in Barthel Index score and only a small number of patients (5 %) deteriorated during this period. Relative improvement decreased with increasing age: patients younger than 55 years showed an improvement of 67 % of the maximum possible improvement compared whith only 50 % for patients above 55 years (adjusted R2 = 0.120, βage = −0.130, p < 0.001). Age only had a small effect on the speed of recovery. For younger patients functional recovery was slightly faster (adjusted R2 = 0.256, βage = −0.080, p < 0.001). Despite its strong influence on case fatality, age is a poor predictor of functional recovery during the very early phase after stroke. Resulting functional recovery depends much more on the extent of the initial disability. Advanced age should not be regarded as a limiting factor in the early rehabilitation of stroke patients.

Cabergoline reverses cortical hyperexcitability in patients with restless legs syndrome

Objective –  To reverse the profile of abnormal intracortical excitability in patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) by administering the dopaminergic agonist cabergoline.

Cholinergic cortical circuits in Parkinson’s disease and in progressive supranuclear palsy: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study

To investigate the involvement of the cortical cholinergic system in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), we performed a comparative study of the short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) in ten patients with PD, in eight patients with PSP and in 15 healthy subjects. Six of the PD patients and four of the PSP patients had dementia. SAI was significantly increased in the PD patients, whereas it was not significantly different between PSP patients and the normal controls. Our findings demonstrate that the excitability of the motor cortex is differentially modulated by sensory afferents in PD and PSP and may indicate that the mechanisms of cholinergic dysfunction are different between the two diseases.

Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency Is Not Associated with Multiple Sclerosis and Its Severity: A Blind-Verified Study

Background Chronic Cerebrospinal Venous Insufficiency (CCSVI) has been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) with a risk ranging from as high as two-hundred-fold to a protective effect. However, not all studies were blinded, and the efficacy of blinding was never assessed. Objective To evaluate the association of CCSVI with MS in a cross-sectional blinded study and look for any association of CCSVI with the severity of MS. Methodology/Principal Findings The Echo-color Doppler examination was carried out in accordance with Zamboni’s five criteria in 68 consecutive MS patients and 68 healthy controls, matched by gender and age (±5 years). Four experienced neurosonologists, blinded to the status of cases and controls, performed the study and were then asked to guess the status (case or control) of each participant. The number of positive CCSVI criteria was similar in the two groups. CCSVI, defined as the presence of two or more criteria, was detected in 21 cases (30.9%) and 23 controls (33.8%), with an OR of 0.9 (95%CL = 0.4–1.8, p = 0.71). The prevalence of CCSVI was related to age in cases (OR increasing from 0.2 to 1.4), but not in controls. CCSVI positive (N = 21) and negative (N = 47) MS patients were similar in clinical type, age at disease onset, disability, and fatigue. Disease duration was longer (16.5±9.8 years) in CCSVI positive than negative patients (11.5±7.4; p = 0.04). The operators correctly guessed 34/68 cases (50%) and 45/68 controls (66%) (p = 0.06), indicating a different success of blinding. Conclusions/Significance CCSVI was not associated with MS itself, nor its severity. We cannot rule out the possibility that CCSVI is a consequence of MS or of aging. Blinding of sonographers is a key point in studying CCSVI and its verification should be a requisite of future studies.

The Eligible study: ultrasound assessment in acute ischemic stroke within 3 hours.

Background: Aims of the study: to identify with echo color Doppler ultrasound of the supra-aortic vessels and transcranial color-coded duplex sonography (TCCD) various patterns of vessel occlusion within 3 h from stroke onset, to compare each group defined at the admission with clinical findings and outcome, and to study the recanalization process, independent of therapy. Methods: We enrolled 89 consecutive patients (mean age 68.9 years). Ultrasound evaluation was done within 3 h from stroke onset, and was repeated at 3–6 and 24–36 h, at day 5, and at 3 months. At admission, patients were divided into the following groups: internal carotid artery occlusions and stenoses (<50%, 50–69%, ≧70%, near occlusion), middle cerebral artery stenoses and occlusions, tandem occlusions and T occlusions. Vascular recanalization in each group was evaluated. Subgroups were compared for NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the outcome measures mortality, Barthel index (BI) and modified Rankin scale (mRS). Favorable outcome was defined as mRS ≤2 and BI ≧90. Results: Each subgroup differed significantly for baseline NIHSS (p < 0.0001), 3-month mortality (p = 0.0235), BI at day 5 (p = 0.0458) and mRS at 3 months (p = 0.0028), even after adjustment for treatment. T and tandem occlusions were the subgroups with the highest NIHSS scores and the poorest outcomes, and the same subgroups had the worst recanalization rates. Conclusions: TCCD in the acute setting of stroke patients allows identification of the presence and site of clots, prediction of outcome and study of the dynamic process of vessel recanalization, in both the acute phase and follow-up.

Altered motor cortex excitability to magnetic stimulation in alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

BACKGROUND Alcohol addiction is a complex brain disease caused by alterations in crucial neurotransmitter systems, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate. These disturbances could be revealed by changes in cortical excitability parameters, as assessed by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This study was aimed to further investigate the complex pathophysiology of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). METHODS Motor cortex excitability was examined in 13 subjects with AWS in a mild predelirial state, in 12 chronic alcoholics and in 15 age-matched control subjects, using a range of TMS protocols. Central motor conduction time, resting and active motor threshold, duration of the cortical silent period, short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF) to paired TMS were examined. RESULTS Intracortical facilitation was significantly increased in the AWS patients when compared with the chronic alcoholics and the control subjects. The other TMS parameters did not differ significantly from the controls. Administration of a single oral dose of the glutamatergic antagonist riluzole in a subgroup of 8 patients significantly reduced ICF; motor threshold and SICI were not affected by riluzole. CONCLUSION Transcranial magnetic stimulation shows a selective increase in intracortical facilitation after ethanol withdrawal. Our findings support the theory that altered glutamatergic receptor function plays an important role in the pathogenesis of human alcohol withdrawal. This study provides further physiological evidence that antiglutamatergic approaches represent an efficacious alternative for treating alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

Optic nerve sonography to monitor treatment efficacy in idiopathic intracranial hypertension: a case report.

To report values of optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) and optic disc elevation (ODE) obtained with optic nerve sonography (US) in the diagnosis and monitoring of treatment efficacy in an adult with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

Ataxia in posterior circulation stroke: Clinical-MRI correlations.

OBJECTIVE Ataxia is characterized clinically by four signs (gait and limb ataxia, dysarthria and nystagmus). Although ataxia has been described in posterior circulation (PC) stroke series, there are no prospective studies that have investigated a possible differential role of the cerebellum or its input/outputs in causing ataxia. METHODS Ataxia was semi-quantified according to the International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) in 92 consecutive patients with acute PC stroke. Four topographical patterns based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were identified: picaCH pattern (posterior inferior cerebellar artery infarct); scaCH pattern (superior cerebellar artery infarct); CH/CP pattern (infarct involving both the cerebellum and the brainstem cerebellar pathways); and CP pattern (infarct involving the brainstem cerebellar pathways). RESULTS Gait ataxia was present in 95.7%, limb ataxia in 76.1%, dysarthria in 56.5% and nystagmus in 65.2% of patients. Gait ataxia frequency did not differ between the patterns, but was significantly more severe in the CH/CP pattern than in either picaCH (P=0.0059) or CP (P=0.0065) pattern. Limb ataxia was significantly less frequent (P<0.001) and less severe (P<0.001) in picaCH pattern than other patterns. Dysarthria was less frequent in picaCH pattern than in other patterns (P=0.018) and less severe than in scaCH (P=0.0043) or CP (P=0.0047) pattern. No differences in nystagmus frequency or severity were observed across all four patterns. CONCLUSION In PC stroke gait ataxia was almost always present, regardless of the lesion site. Limb ataxia and dysarthria were less frequent in the picaCH pattern, whereas nystagmus, when present, did not differ among the topographical patterns.

Modafinil reverses hypoexcitability of the motor cortex in narcoleptic patients: A TMS study

OBJECTIVE Although many animal and human studies have been performed, the exact mechanisms of action whereby modafinil promotes wakefulness are still not completely understood. We aimed to investigate the functional effects of modafinil on motor cortex excitability in patients with narcolepsy by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) techniques. METHODS In a double-blind and placebo-controlled design, 24 drug-naive narcoleptic patients with cataplexy and 20 control subjects were administered modafinil or placebo over a period of 4 weeks. TMS was performed twice during the awake state before and at the end of treatment; measures of cortical excitability included central motor conduction time, resting motor threshold, short latency intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation to paired-TMS. TMS measures were correlated with the conventional neurophysiological method of Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT) and the subjective Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). RESULTS As previously reported, motor threshold and SICI were significantly increased in patients with narcolepsy; modafinil reversed this cortical hypoexcitability, but only SICI differences reached statistical significance. The Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed the highest correlation between SICI and the MSLT; a positive correlation was also found between SICI and the ESS, as well as between RMT and both measures of daytime sleepiness. CONCLUSIONS This represents the first report investigating effects of modafinil on cortical excitability in human narcolepsy. Since SICI is thought to be directly related to GABA(A) intracortical inhibitory activity, we demonstrated that the dose of modafinil that induces a satisfactory wakefulness-promoting response in narcoleptic patients also causes decrease in GABAergic transmission.

rTMS of the prefrontal cortex has analgesic effects on neuropathic pain in subjects with spinal cord injury

Study design:Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation study.Objectives:The analgesic effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in chronic pain have been the focus of several studies. In particular, rTMS of the premotor cortex/dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PMC/DLPFC) changes pain perception in healthy subjects and has analgesic effects in acute postoperative pain, as well as in fibromyalgia patients. However, its effect on neuropathic pain in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) has not been assessed.Setting:Merano (Italy) and Salzburg (Austria).Methods:In this study, we performed PMC/DLPFC rTMS in subjects with SCI and neuropathic pain. Twelve subjects with chronic cervical or thoracic SCI were randomized to receive 1250 pulses at 10 Hz rTMS (n=6) or sham rTMS (n=6) treatment for 10 sessions over 2 weeks. The visual analog scale, the sensory and affective pain rating indices of the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were used to assed pain and mood at baseline (T0), 1 day after the first week of treatment (T1), 1 day (T2), 1 week (T3) and 1 month (T4) after the last intervention.Results:Subjects who received active rTMS had a statistically significant reduction in pain symptoms in comparison with their baseline pain, whereas sham rTMS participants had a non-significant change in daily pain from their baseline pain.Conclusion:The findings of this preliminary study in a small patient sample suggest that rTMS of the PMC/DLPFC may be effective in relieving neuropathic pain in SCI patients.