Author Archives: RobertKamper

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Reward Deficiency Syndrome

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I’ve been reading on a couple of topics recently – One is basically on music training and neuro-rehabilitation in neuro-degenerative diseases. The other is on what is theorized as the reward system in the brain, which includes the dopamine generating neurons, and the deficiency of dopamine, which factors into several different conditions. apparently ADHD, addictions to substances such as alcohol and cocaine, and narcolepsy are included.  (What? no mention of Parkinson’s?)

The article appears in Volume 1, issue 1,  2015, of the Journal of Reward Deficiency Synddromne at http://dx.doi.org/10.17756/jrds.2015-002  which is an online journal focused primarily on addictions and treatments. Other, more recent articles can be accessed freely. Worth a look, if ADHD and addictions are your field of interest.

As someone with a narcolepsy without cataplexy diagnosis, the article is interesting, especially since I have never been diagnosed as ADHD, which the authoors theorize are closely connected. Howewver, as one who has been known to multi-task well in the past, perhaps the ADHD element was never noticed because of my high IQ (g-intelligence, as some would call it). I could get away with reading Mad magazine in geometry class, tucked inside my  textbook, because I could keep up with the class while shifting my attention between the magazine, the teacher’s explanations, and the drawings on the chalkboard. Now, having slowed down due to Parrkinson’s, it might be apparent in he number of tasks started and left undone, the distractions of Facebook, and a general disorder.

Anyway, worth a thought or two of considefration…

 

 

Music, Parkinson's, Research, Reviews, Uncategorized , Leave a comment

Music Training and PD

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A Rationale for Muusic Training To Enhance Executive Function in Parkinson’s Disease: An Overview of the Problem

From the abstract:: “Deficits in executive functions (e.g., attention, processing speed) in patients with PD result in gait interference, deficits in emotional processing, loss of functional capacity (e.g., intellectual activity, social participation), and reduced quality of life. ” (for people with Parkinson’s Disease.

The authors note that music listening interventions can help with gait and freezing, but that the effecct of actual musical training on executive functions mentioned above is unknown.

“In piano training, fine motor finger movements activate the cerebellum and supplementary motor areas (SMA) , thereby exercising the CTC network. We hypothesize that exercising the CTC network through music training will contribute to enhanced executive functions. Previous research suggested that music training enhances cognitive performance (i.e., working memory and processing speed) in healthy adults and adults with cognitive impairments. ”

” Previous research suggested that music training enhances cognitive performance (i.e., working memory and processing speed) in healthy adults and adults with cognitive impairments. This review and rationale provides support for the use of music training to enhance cognitive outcomes in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD).”

The evidence revewed in the article “presents a compelling case for music training to improve executive functioning for adults with PD.

“First, music training activates the cerebellar-thalamocortical network (CTC) network providing a rerouting to activate executive functions through fine motor activity .”

The authors “hypothesize that exercising the CTC network through music training will contribute to enhanced cognitive performance.

The Movement Disorder Society (MDS) values the identification and intervention of cognitive impairment in adults with PD, and sees it as part of essential care—a need yet to be met.”

“Cognitive interventions that include repeated practice exercising the CTC network through sensorimotor integration may assist patients with PD. While research has shown that music training enhances cognitive performance (i.e., working memory and processing speed) in healthy older adults, there is a need to extend the benefits of music training to patients with PD.”

Please excuse me, time for my keyboard practice.
Dance for Parkinson's, Music, Parkinson's, Research , , Leave a comment

Some references on Dance + Parkinson’s Disease + Singing + Music … for reading and assimilation

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The overall arc of research on music is that it does more than soothe the savagw breast [ it mrnds the mind, provides rhythmic cues and aids in movement and balance, and singing helps with breathing and volume. Here are just three references – the third has to do with autism spectrum disorder, but what the heck, worth a read, and perhaps one can extrapolate to PD, if not generalize…

Evaluating Dancing With Parkinson’s: Reflections from the perspective of a community organization 

The neurochemistry of music

Effects of Dance Therapy

 

 

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From: Whatever… to: Whatever It Takes

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An old tee shirt of mine shows a cartoon face with shrugging shoulders and a Key West, FL logo with the word “Whatever …” as the main message.

I now have a wristband from the Parkinson’s Foundation that says “Whatever It Takes – To Beat Parkinon’s”

So that is how my attitude has changed following my PD diagnosis.

My Dad used to say that his philosophy of life was “Que sera, sera – whatever will be, will be”. Later on, he covered up his loss of hearing by saying “Whatever…”

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So now we begin again.

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This blog has been on hiatus for nearly a year, bu I have some fairly decent excuses – a recurring case pf cystitis, a bunion that  was attempted by one surgeon, then after six months, found out the real reason my foot was still swollen was that the screws holding the plate waer too long and were causing irritation of the next metatarsal – so it has been 8 going on 9 months of limited mobility and limited opportunity to hit all buy the highest priorities.

Like getting to the bathroom before it’s too late, shaving and bathing every couple of days, getting dressed, getting undressed, and th elike. Slow but independent mostly.

I have started writing an essay on Moses Maimnides’ A guife for the Perplexed and willinclude it here when it is more orless complete. Basically henotes the four types of perfection that humans seek: material goods, physical perfection, social ethics, and seeking truth, or knowledge. I address these in more detail in the essay, but the bottom linr id hid: We need enough material possessions to be sa independent as possible for as long as possile, we need to stay active and physically fit enugh that we don’t cause  medical issues,  we should be ethical in our dealings with others, and we should seek the truth, which ti me means using the scientific mehtod to determine which treatments work best for which patients, what causes different illnesses, and how “fuzzy” logic might help us to get closer to the truth in some cases than strict categorical thinking..

Maimonides clearly though that he last of these was the “highest” form of perfectiontobe sough sfter, while I argue that a balanceamongst allfour of these elements is best.

That will come later. For I havemiles to go befoe I go to sleep and will not go gently into that good night anytime soon, to plagiarize a couple of famous dead poets..

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December in July

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The title refers to the fact that this post was drafted back in December 2016 as an email InfoShare for the Capitol Area Parkinson’s Support (CAPS) group, which is meeting today (July 15 2017) at 2 PM. Never did send it out. So here it is, a few months late, but the news is still timely. Especially the value of early treatment and diagnosis of PD.  So, here it is:
The London School of Economics and Political Science recently released a report on the “Value of Early Diagnosis and Treatment in Parkinson’s Disease”, a literature review of recent studies with recommendations for action. It can be downloaded at http://www.braincouncil.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Parkinson-report-2016-1.pdf 
On a broader view of PD,  here’s a link to a page that has links to just about everything Parkinson’s – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) Medline Plus topic page on Parkinson’s Disease.

Parkinson’s Disease: MedlinePlus

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a movement disorder. It causes tremors, stiffness, and slow movement. It gets wo…
OK – you can spend a week going through all of that information. 
So here are the items mentioned in the subject headline:
First, evidence that DBS is helpful in early stages of PDS, not just in later stages. Benefits extend for at least 5 years.

Motor Skill Improvement With DBS Seen in Early Parkinson’s

The treatment, linked to benefits in advanced disease, shows signs of significant improvement in early-stage dis…
The PDF copy of the research paper referenced in the above news article can be found at this link:
A less drastic approach than brain surgery might be helpful for motor symptoms:

TMS May Ease Bradykinesia, Rigidity in Parkinson’s

New research helps pinpoint which motor symptoms of PD respond to transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Next, contradictory evidence regarding whether statins used to lower cholesterol levels offer a protective effect for PD – previous analyses said yes, but further massage of the data reveals that the answer is not as simple as it seemed at first.

Statin Use Linked to Increased Parkinson’s Risk

Contrary to previous research, a new study shows a higher, rather than lower, risk for Parkinson’s disease a…
Here are links to related articles, papers, and abstracts:

Statins Protective Against Parkinson’s: More Evidence

Further evidence that statin use is associated with a reduction in risk of Parkinson’s disease has come from…
Earlier this year, an analysis of ten reports that yielded different conclusions after adjusting for cholesterol levels.

Confounding of the association between statins and Parkinson disease: syste…
In 2012, the JAMA Neurology journal published a prospective analysis that indicated statins reduced the risk of PD. (PDF of full article is available for free download):
Several years ago, an analysis found publication bias in favor of positive results, and both a protective effect for statin use and no protective effect for long term statin use:

Statin use and risk of Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis of observationa…

Inconsistent results regarding the association between statin use and risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been…
And last year, an analysis of published reports that found that use of statins was not protective for PD, in contrast to the hypothesis that statins are protective.

Statins, plasma cholesterol, and risk of Parkinson’s disease: A prospec…
Exercise, Parkinson's, Research, Reviews , Leave a comment

Nordic Walking & PD – no decision yet.

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Systematic review of studies involving Nordic Walking and Parkinson’s was conducted. Due to differences in study designs, can’t really say whether NW should be included in exercise treatments for folks with PD.

Nordic Walking for the management of people with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review

Lucia Cugusi, PhD et al.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2017.06.021

Abstract

Background

It is well known that physical exercise is the main therapeutic element of rehabilitation programs for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). As traditional forms of exercise can guarantee significant health benefits, the emergence of non-conventional physical activities, such as Nordic walking (NW), may add positive effects.

Objective

To appraise the available evidence on the main effects of NW in the rehabilitation programs for people with PD and to propose a design for upcoming research that might improve the uniformity of future trials.

Study Design

Systematic review

Literature Survey.

A literature search of five established databases (PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane) was conducted.

Method

ology. Any relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) pertinent to NW in PD published in English from inception to February 2017, were included. PRISMA guidelines were followed and the methodological quality of each study was assessed by the PEDro scale.

Data Synthesis

Sixty-six studies were retrieved and 6 RCTs (221 subjects) entered the qualitative synthesis. Overall, these studies portrayed NW as feasible and likely to be effective in improving the functional and clinical outcomes of people with PD. When comparing NW with other exercise-based interventions such as treadmill training, free walking, a program of standardized whole-body movements with maximal amplitude (LSVT®BIG training) or a home-based exercise program, the findings proved controversial.

Conclusions

High heterogeneity and methodological discrepancies among the studies prevent from drawing firm conclusions on the effectiveness of NW in comparison with other exercise-based interventions currently employed in people with PD. Further investigations with a common design are necessary to verify whether NW may be included within conventional rehabilitation programs commonly recommended to people with PD.

Parkinson's, Research , Leave a comment

Autoimmune response may play a role in Parkinson’s

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Original of this story at: Medical News Today web site 21 June 2017

The exact causes of Parkinson’s disease are unknown, but an important hallmark is the buildup of damaged alpha-synuclein protein in dopamine-producing cells.

The new study reveals evidence that two fragments of alpha-synuclein can trigger T cells to initiate an attack by the immune system.

The researchers tested blood samples from 67 patients with Parkinson’s disease and control samples from 36 healthy patients.

They exposed the blood samples to fragments of proteins found in brain cells, including fragments of alpha-synuclein. The blood from the controls hardly reacted, but T cells in the blood from the Parkinson’s patients had a strong reaction to defined fragments from alpha-synuclein

The finding suggests that certain variants of MHC – such as those associated with Parkinson’s disease – may cause T cells to mistakenly identify the alpha-synuclein fragments as pathogens and thus trigger an autoimmune response that destroys the offending cells.

A lot of work still needs to be done,, but it could help to provide a diagnostic test for risk or early stages of PD, which is sorely needed.

I wonder – Could you get allergy shots with alpha synuclein protein fragments to reduce or eliminate the autoimmune response and thus keep T-Cells from attacking the dopaminergic neurons?

 

Music, Parkinson's, Research, The Meaning of Life , Leave a comment

Contributing to Research via DNA sharing

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I had my DNA analyzed by 23AndMe and in addition to getting some somewhat innocuous reports on my genetic makeup (including the revelation that there is about .5% match each with Askenazi and African groups somewhere in my ancestry, plus some Neanderthal genes) my data has been anonymously included in nine published articles/studies so far, including:

  1.   23and Me blog article on Depression and genes:  https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/new-genetic-findings-on-depression/     The original (abstract of) the article on genes associated with depression:  http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v48/n9/full/ng.3623.html 
  2.  On genes related to risks of basal cell carcinoma:  https://blog.23andme.com/23andme-research/new-study-on-genetics-of-common-type-of-skin-cancer/   Original article in Nature Communications:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4992160/  
  3.  AND OTHERS which can be found at 23AndMe Blog – Research category

    Live long and Prosper!