Evaluation of Lipid Profile and PCSK9 Serum Levels in Parkinson’s Patients in Comparison with Healthy Subjects

Introduction Up to now, limited and contradictory results have been published on the role of prognostic values of lipid profile molecules including: HDL (High Density Lipoprotein), LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein), TG (Triglyceride), Total Cholesterol and PCSK9 (Proprotein Convertase SubtilisinKexin type 9) molecule in occurrence and development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of lipid profile and PCSK9 in patients with PD and to compar it with healthy individuals. Methods and Results In the present case-evidence study, 32 individuals diagnosed with PD were compared with 32 healthy individuals. After receiving the  participant's consent forms, 5 ml blood was taken from vein and the level of HDL(High -Density Lipoprotein), LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein), TG (Triglyceride),Total Cholesterol and PCSK9 in the blood samples were measured. The Elisa method was used for measuring PCSK9 level in blood serum. Data were analyzed using SPSS17 software. The P values smaller than 0.05 were considered significant. The mean age of participants in the PD and control group was 56.9±8.8 and 53.7±10.1 years respectively (P>0.05). Twenty seven individuals (87.1%) and 13 individuals (41.9%) in the PD group and control group were men, respectively. The remaining participants were women (P=0.000). LDL level (84.2±24.9 ml/dl vs. 105.5±16.8, P=0.000), HDL (45.5±8.7 ml/dl vs. 51.1±9.5 ml/dl, P=0.000), total cholesterol (155.3±31.2 ml/dl vs. 192.8±32.5 ml/dl P=0.000) were lower and TG level was higher in the PD group (133.3±79.3 ml/dl vs. 131.2±58.6 ml/dl, P=0.9) compared with the control group. PCSK9 level was higher in the PDgroup, but no significant difference was found (141.6±70 vs. 129.7±51 ng/ml, P=0.5). ConclusionsOur findings showed that individuals with PD have lower level of HDL, LDL and total cholesterol compared with the control group, but PCSK9 levels were same in both groups

The effects of spaced transcranial Direct Current Stimulation combined with conventional dysphagia therapy in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that is characterized by a set of motor and non-motor symptoms. Impaired swallowing or dysphagia is one relatively common motor symptom in patients with PD. We investigated whether neuroplasticity induction by spaced transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) combined with conventional swallowing therapy leads to long-lasting effects on swallowing ability in patients with PD. We present a case of a 61-year-old male PD patient with dysphagia. Conventional Swallowing Therapy (CDT) combined with tDCS (bilateral anodal, 1 mA, 20 min, 10 online sessions, twice daily with a 20 min interval in between for five days over two weeks) was applied over the pharyngeal motor cortex. Our findings suggest that anodal tDCS combined with CDT is feasible, safe, and well-tolerated, and leads to a clinically relevant improvement of swallowing functions

Modeling of cerebellar transcranial electrical stimulation effects on hand tremor in Parkinson’s disease

IntroductionParkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder with different motor and neurocognitive symptoms. Tremor is a well-known symptom of this disease. Increasing evidence suggested that the cerebellum may substantially contribute to tremors as a clinical symptom of PD. However, the theoretical foundations behind these observations are not yet fully understood.MethodsIn this study, a computational model is proposed to consider the role of the cerebellum and to show the effectiveness of cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on the rest tremor in participants with PD. The proposed model consists of the cortex, cerebellum, spinal circuit-muscular system (SC-MS), and basal ganglia blocks as the most critical parts of the brain, which are involved in generating rest tremors. The cortex, cerebellum, and SC-MS blocks were modeled using Van der Pol oscillators that interacted through synchronization procedures. Basal ganglia are considered as a regulator of the coupling weights defined between oscillators. In order to evaluate the global behavior of the model, we applied tACS on the cerebellum of fifteen PD patients for 15 min at each patient’s peak frequency of their rest tremors. A tri-axial accelerometer recorded rest tremors before, during, and after the tACS.Results and DiscussionThe simulation of the model provides a suggestion for the possible role of the cerebellum on rest tremors and how cerebellar tACS can affect these tremors. Results of human experiments also showed that the online and offline effects of cerebellar tACS could lead to the reduction of rest tremors significantly by about %76 and %68, respectively. Our findings suggest that the cerebellar tACS could serve as a reliable, therapeutic technique to suppress the PD tremor

The effects of spaced transcranial Direct Current Stimulation combined with conventional dysphagia therapy in Parkinson’s disease: A case report

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that is characterized by a set of motor and non-motor symptoms. Impaired swallowing or dysphagia is one relatively common motor symptom in patients with PD. We investigated whether neuroplasticity induction by spaced transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) combined with conventional swallowing therapy leads to long-lasting effects on swallowing ability in patients with PD. We present a case of a 61-year-old male PD patient with dysphagia. Conventional Swallowing Therapy (CDT) combined with tDCS (bilateral anodal, 1 mA, 20 min, 10 online sessions, twice daily with a 20 min interval in between for five days over two weeks) was applied over the pharyngeal motor cortex. Our findings suggest that anodal tDCS combined with CDT is feasible, safe, and well-tolerated, and leads to a clinically relevant improvement of swallowing functions

The effects of anxiety and external attentional focus on postural control in patients with Parkinson's disease - Fig 1

<p><b>(A) The main effect of group on mean velocity of COP</b>. Post hoc analysis showed that only PD participants who had a high level of anxiety showed greater mean velocity of the COP as compared to the control group (****P< 0.0001). LA-PD: PD participants with a low level of anxiety, HA-PD: PD participants with a high level of anxiety; <b>(B) The interaction effect of postural difficulty by focus condition on mean velocity of COP.</b> Post hoc analysis indicated that mean velocity of the COP was significantly greater during standing on a foam surface as compared to standing on a rigid surface (°°°°P< 0.0001). Moreover, the mean velocity of the COP decreased significantly during external focus as compared to the condition of the no focus instruction (*P<0.05 and ****P<0.0001). In addition, the mean velocity of the COP decreased significantly during the external focus as compared to internal focus condition (++P<0.01 and ++++P< 0.0001).</p

Summary of analysis of variance of postural sway: F ratios, P values, and effect sizes by variable.

<p>Summary of analysis of variance of postural sway: F ratios, P values, and effect sizes by variable.</p

Descriptive data for postural sway measures in different postural difficulty and focus conditions.

<p>Descriptive data for postural sway measures in different postural difficulty and focus conditions.</p

Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants.

<p>Demographic and clinical characteristics of participants.</p