Article
Clinical Neurology
Gaia Bonassi, Elisa Pelosin, Giovanna Lagravinese, Ambra Bisio, Giorgio Grasselli, Marco Bove, Laura Avanzino
Summary: The study showed that when peripheral electrical stimulation was delivered 25 and 35 ms earlier to the ipsilateral cerebellum in healthy subjects, there was a significantly weaker cerebellar brain inhibition (CBI). This suggests that somatosensory inputs may modulate the inhibitory effect of the cerebellum on the primary motor cortex.
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ted Maldonado, Trevor Bryan Jackson, Jessica A. Bernard
Summary: This study investigated the impact of transcranial direct current stimulation on cerebellar and cortical activation. The findings showed that anodal stimulation worsened task performance and increased cortical activation in parietal and frontal regions.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Ronan A. Mooneya, Zhen Ni, Yuichiro Shirota, Robert Chen, Yoshikazu Ugawaf, Pablo A. Celnik
Summary: Effective connectivity between the cerebellum and primary motor cortex is crucial for motor learning and control. Despite age-related declines in motor abilities, recent studies indicate that older adults may maintain or even enhance cerebellar-dependent motor learning processes. This study reveals stronger cerebellar inhibition in older adults compared to young adults, suggesting enhanced cerebellar-M1 connectivity with advanced age.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF AGING
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Alexandre Caux-Dedeystere, Etienne Allart, Pierre Morel, Alexandre Kreisler, Philippe Derambure, Herve Devanne
Summary: In patients with writer's cramp (WC), alterations in GABAergic inhibitory mechanisms result in longer duration of LICI and delayed LCD, affecting the activity of primary motor cortex inhibitory and excitatory circuits controlling hand muscles. This study highlights the impact of these changes on involuntary muscle contractions while writing and the potential therapeutic targets for WC.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Rachel E. Sondergaard, Nicholas D. J. Strzalkowski, Liu Shi Gan, Yamile Jasaui, Sarah Furtado, Tamara M. Pringsheim, Justyna R. Sarna, Laura Avanzino, Zelma H. T. Kiss, Davide Martino
Summary: The study investigated cerebellar connectivity in patients with cervical dystonia (CD) and its association with clinical features. The authors found that CBI efficiency was significantly correlated with worsening CD clinical severity at the 5 ms ISI, suggesting dysfunction in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical tract in this disorder.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Kai Grimm, Lisa Prilop, Gerhard Schoen, Mathias Gelderblom, Jonas Misselhorn, Christian Gerloff, Simone Zittel
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the role of the cerebellum in sensorimotor associative plasticity in patients with cervical dystonia (CD). Through cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) and a paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocol, it was found that cerebellar modulation had no effect on sensorimotor associative plasticity in CD patients. This provides further evidence of the role of the cerebello-thalamo-cortical network in the pathophysiology of dystonia.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuting Shi, Guangdong Zou, Zhao Chen, Linlin Wan, Linliu Peng, Huirong Peng, Lu Shen, Kun Xia, Rong Qiu, Beisha Tang, Hong Jiang
Summary: This study compared the efficacy of low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) in SCA3 patients. The results showed that both 1 Hz rTMS and iTBS were effective in improving the symptoms of ataxia in SCA3 patients.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Akiyoshi Matsugi, Nobuhiko Mori, Koichi Hosomi, Youichi Saitoh
Summary: This study investigated whether vermal cerebellar low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (crTMS) affects motor learning and the stability and sensory contribution of upright standing. The findings suggest that crTMS has an immediate effect on motor learning but does not immediately affect the stability and sensory contribution of upright standing.
NEUROSCIENCE LETTERS
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Shabnam Behrangrad, Maryam Zoghi, Dawson Kidgell, Shapour Jaberzadeh
Summary: The study evaluated the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on postural balance in healthy individuals, finding that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation can significantly improve balance while cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation has an adverse effect. These findings have implications for improving balance in patients with neurological disorders and healthy older adults with balance dysfunctions.
BRAIN CONNECTIVITY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Milan Pantovic, Lidio Lima de Albuquerque, Sierra Mastrantonio, Austin S. Pomerantz, Erik W. Wilkins, Zachary A. Riley, Mark A. Guadagnoli, Brach Poston
Summary: Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the primary motor cortex (M1) improves motor learning in relatively simple motor tasks performed with the hand and arm, but its effect on complex motor tasks involving whole-body coordination is unclear. This study found that tDCS applied over multiple days can improve motor learning in a complex overhand throwing task.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shane M. Fresnoza, Giorgi Batsikadze, Lynn Elena Mueller, Constanze Rost, Michael Chamoun, Walter Paulus, Min-Fang Kuo, Michael A. Nitsche
Summary: Dopamine plays a crucial role in neuroplasticity and has dosage-dependent effects on motor cortex plasticity. Different dosages of dopamine precursor such as L-DOPA can either impair, abolish, preserve, or reverse plasticity in healthy individuals. Similarly, selective D1-like and D2-like receptor activation has excitatory and inhibitory effects on plasticity. However, the effects of nonselective dopamine agonists like apomorphine on plasticity have not been extensively explored in humans.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Jordan Morrison-Ham, Gillian M. Clark, Elizabeth G. Ellis, Andris Cerins, Juho Joutsa, Peter G. Enticott, Daniel T. Corp
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) on dystonia symptoms through a meta-analysis. The results showed that NIBS had a small effect in reducing dystonia symptoms, with effect sizes depending on methodological characteristics. More sessions of stimulation resulted in a larger response.
THERAPEUTIC ADVANCES IN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Meng Dai, Jia Qiao, Zhonghui Shi, Xiaomei Wei, Huayu Chen, Luxi Shen, Hongmei Wen, Zulin Dou
Summary: In this study, it was found that 10-Hz bilateral cerebellar rTMS showed promising results in the treatment of subacute infratentorial PSD. The intervention improved the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) score and swallowing function (DOSS and PAS).
Review
Neurosciences
Lin He, Qi-Fan Guo, Yu Hu, Hui-Xin Tan, Yi Chen, Chen-Han Wang, Tian-Yu Zhou, Qiang Gao
Summary: Non-invasive cerebellar stimulation (NICS) is a promising technique for rehabilitating brain functions in neurological or psychiatric diseases. This study used bibliometric analysis to examine the current status, hot spots, and trends of NICS research.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jinzhu Rao, Fang Li, Lida Zhong, Jing Wang, Yang Peng, Huiyu Liu, Pu Wang, Jianwen Xu
Summary: This study found that intermittent theta burst stimulation with bilateral cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation can effectively improve swallowing function in patients with dysphagia after stroke. The stimulation of bilateral cerebellar hemisphere provides a more efficient treatment. Additionally, 100% resting motor threshold bilateral cerebellar iTBS is a relatively safe treatment.
NEUROREHABILITATION AND NEURAL REPAIR
(2022)
Letter
Neurosciences
Massimiliano Passaretti, Alessandro De Biase, Giulia Paparella, Luca Angelini, Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Donato Colella, Alfredo Berardelli, Matteo Bologna
Article
Clinical Neurology
Maria Ilenia De Bartolo, Giorgio Vivacqua, Daniele Belvisi, Romina Mancinelli, Andrea Fabbrini, Nicoletta Manzo, Matteo Costanzo, Giorgio Leodori, Antonella Conte, Giovanni Fabbrini, Sergio Morini, Alfredo Berardelli
Summary: This study aimed to investigate molecular biomarkers of a-synuclein and tau aggregation, autophagy, and inflammation in the saliva of de novo Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and their potential diagnostic power. The results showed that oligomeric a-synuclein, total-tau, MAP-LC3beta, and TNFalpha levels were significantly higher in PD patients compared to healthy subjects. The combination of salivary biomarkers targeting different molecular pathways, including oligomeric a-synuclein and MAP-LC3beta, showed accurate diagnostic performance.
ANNALS OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Luca Angelini, Giulia Paparella, Alessandro De Biase, Annalisa Maraone, Matteo Panfili, Isabella Berardelli, Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Antonella Di Vita, Roberta Margiotta, Giovanni Fabbrini, Alfredo Berardelli, Matteo Bologna
Summary: This study investigated the progression of Essential Tremor (ET) manifestations through clinical and neurophysiological evaluation. The results showed that ET progression is characterized by the spread of tremor in multiple body segments and the emergence of soft signs. Female sex, absence of family history, and rest tremor at baseline were identified as predictive factors of worse disease progression.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Giulia Paparella, Martina De Riggi, Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Donato Colella, Davide Costa, Daniele Birreci, Massimiliano Passaretti, Luca Angelini, Andrea Guerra, Alfredo Berardelli, Matteo Bologna
Summary: Through a study involving 33 healthy subjects, it was found that unilateral motor practice leads to improved performance of both the trained and untrained contralateral limbs. The transfer of this skill is asymmetric and relates to the modulation of specific inhibitory interhemispheric connections.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Sara Pietracupa, Daniele Belvisi, Claudia Piervincenzi, Silvia Tommasin, Gabriele Pasqua, Nikolaos Petsas, Maria Ilenia De Bartolo, Andrea Fabbrini, Matteo Costanzo, Nicoletta Manzo, Alfredo Berardelli, Patrizia Pantano
Summary: This study aimed to identify white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) abnormalities in early PD patients and their correlations with motor and non-motor symptom severity. Results showed that PD patients exhibited lower WM fractional anisotropy and higher mean, axial, and radial diffusivity. There were also correlations between cognitive performance and WM fractional anisotropy values. Smaller cerebellar volumes in early PD patients were also found. No GM changes were observed in subcortical or cortical regions.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Matteo Bologna, Alberto J. Espay, Alfonso Fasano, Giulia Paparella, Mark Hallett, Alfredo Berardelli
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Andrea Guerra, Donato Colella, Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Margherita Giangrosso, Giulia Paparella, Giovanni Fabbrini, Alfredo Berardelli, Matteo Bologna
Summary: Patients with Parkinson's disease show impaired short-term potentiation (STP) mechanisms in the primary motor cortex. In this study, the role of this neurophysiological abnormality in bradykinesia was investigated using a multimodal neuromodulation approach. The results suggest that abnormal STP processes are involved in bradykinesia pathophysiology and can be restored by increasing beta oscillations.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Giorgio Leodori, Marco Mancuso, Davide Maccarrone, Matteo Tartaglia, Antonio Ianniello, Francesco Certo, Viola Baione, Gina Ferrazzano, Leonardo Malimpensa, Daniele Belvisi, Carlo Pozzilli, Alfredo Berardelli, Antonella Conte
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of central motor fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and found that central motor fatigue is associated with abnormal primary motor cortex (M1) output and connectivity within the sensorimotor network. The results showed that MS patients exhibited higher levels of central and supraspinal fatigue in contraction.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF DISEASE
(2023)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Viola Baione, Marco Canevelli, Daniele Belvisi, Maria Chiara Buscarinu, Gianmarco Bellucci, Roberta Fantozzi, Carolina Gabri Nicoletti, Giorgia Malatuni, Antonio Cortese, Laura De Giglio, Matteo Tartaglia, Gina Ferrazzano, Leonardo Malimpensa, Giorgio Leodori, Giuseppe Bruno, Elisabetta Ferraro, Girolama Alessandra Marfia, Diego Centonze, Marco Salvetti, Antonella Conte
Summary: Recent cross-sectional investigations have shown a relationship between Frailty Index (FI) and multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the association between frailty and relapse activity in MS is still unknown. A one-year follow-up study with 471 patients found that there was an inverse association between baseline FI score and the presence of relapse. These findings suggest that frailty may reflect the underlying mechanisms of MS disease activity and FI could be used as an enrichment criterion in clinical trials.
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND RELATED DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Matteo Tartaglia, Marco Canevelli, Leonardo Malimpensa, Daniele Belvisi, Viola Baione, Gina Ferrazzano, Giorgio Leodori, Alfredo Berardelli, Antonella Conte
Summary: Timely diagnosis of SPMS is challenging, and the Frailty Index and Neurophysiological Index have emerged as promising tools. This study aimed to explore the relationship between these two indices in MS. The study found that SPMS patients had higher scores on the Frailty and Neurophysiological Index, and they were correlated, suggesting that they may capture similar SPMS-related pathophysiological mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Matteo Costanzo, Carolina Cutrona, Giorgio Leodori, Maria Ilenia De Bartolo, Andrea Fabbrini, Giorgio Vivacqua, Antonella Conte, Giovanni Fabbrini, Alfredo Berardelli, Daniele Belvisi
Summary: This study aimed to characterize the clinical features of upper limb tremor during walking (TW) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. TW was found to be a frequent sign in PD patients, and its distribution and severity were similar to rest and re-emergent tremor but different from postural tremor. TW may be considered as a clinical variant of rest tremor.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS CLINICAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Giorgio Leodori, Andrea Fabbrini, Antonio Suppa, Marco Mancuso, Sankalp Tikoo, Daniele Belvisi, Antonella Conte, Giovanni Fabbrini, Alfredo Berardelli
Summary: This study used TMS-EEG to assess the changes in effective connectivity of important regions of the visual network and dorsal attention network in DLB, PD, and PDD patients. The results showed that patients with visual hallucinations had less effective connectivity within the intraparietal sulcus of the DAN. This provides initial evidence for exploring the relationship between hallucinations and brain region dysfunction.
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neuroimaging
Nicoletta Manzo, Giorgio Leodori, Giulia Ruocco, Daniele Belvisi, Shabbir Hussain I. Merchant, Giovanni Fabbrini, Alfredo Berardelli, Antonella Conte
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of sensory trick (ST) on cortical activity in patients with cervical dystonia (CD) and explore the contribution of motor and sensory components to ST mechanisms. The results showed that ST can improve the dystonic posture in CD patients, and both motor and sensory components contribute to the ST effect.
NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL
(2023)
Letter
Clinical Neurology
Gianmarco Bellucci, Martina De Riggi, Carlo Di Bonaventura, Antonio Suppa, Giorgio Leodori, Marco Fiorelli, Giovanni Fabbrini
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Letter
Neurosciences
Massimiliano Passaretti, Giulia Paparella, Alessandro De Biase, Luca Angelini, Antonio Cannavacciuolo, Donato Colella, Alfredo Berardelli, Matteo Bologna
Article
Clinical Neurology
Jaakko Vallinoja, Timo Nurmi, Julia Jaatela, Vincent Wens, Mathieu Bourguignon, Helena Maenpaa, Harri Piitulainen
Summary: The study aimed to assess the effects of lesions related to spastic diplegic cerebral palsy on functional connectivity. Using multiple imaging modalities, the researchers found enhanced functional connectivity in the sensorimotor network of individuals with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, which was not correlated with hand coordination performance.
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Francesca Ginatempo, Nicola Loi, John C. Rothwell, Franca Deriu
Summary: This study comprehensively investigated sensorimotor integration in the cranial-cervical muscles of healthy adults and found that the integration of sensory inputs with motor output is profoundly influenced by the type of sensory afferent involved and the functional role played by the target muscle.
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2024)
